Strength From Within
by 3rd.Apple
Summary: AU, Atlantis Crossover. Sequel to A Familiar Face but can stand alone. SGA1 comes across Jackie crash landed on the planet of one of their allies. She tries desparately to hide a secret that can unknowingly tip the balance in the war against the Ori.
1. Prologue

_Disclaimer: I don't own Stargate. If I did you would know. I do however own Jackie; she is a character of my own creation (as are several other characters: all the people of the Anadim)._

_A/N: This story comes after "A Familiar Face." However it is not necessary to read it first (though it might be helpful). AU, Atlanta Crossover._

**Prologue –**

"Whatcha doin' Carter?"

Sam nearly dropped the alien device she was working on when she heard those simple words. Taking a moment to regain her composure, she turned around and confirmed what she already knew: Major General Jonathan 'Jack' O'Neill was standing in the doorway of her lab at Stargate command. Instinctively she knew that he should be in Washington DC in his own office at the Pentagon or sitting in some boring meeting with some stick-up-his-ass politician.

"Sir? What are you doing here?"

"I was about to ask you the same thing Carter." Jack responded as he walked into Sam's lab and sat down on the stool across from her desk. Absently he reached over and picked up one of her doohickeys and started playing with it.

The two sat in silence for – what seemed to Sam – an eternity. She watched as he fiddled with the device in his hands, wondering what brought him to Colorado.

"One would think, Carter, that after all you've seen in the last 12 years – especially dealing with the Ori the last couple – that you would be spending less time around this place." Jack motioned with his hands at the last part of his comment.

"It's because of the Ori that I'm still here, Sir. We've got to find a way to stop them."

"Life's too short to spend it cooped up in here alone, Carter." Sam started to protest but Jack held up his hand to stop her. "Don't worry, I'm not going to order you to get a life – tried that years ago and look, you're still sitting here. No." He shook his head and stared at the device in his hands.

Sam didn't dare interrupt him again, he didn't often express himself so openly – he was like Teal'c in that aspect – so for him to be opening up…no way in hell was she going to break that chain of thought.

"You need perspective Carter. Take a look at the people out in the world, their innocence and naiveté at what is going on in the universe. Take a moment to remember why we do what we do. Don't get so caught up in saving the galaxy that you lose sight of what we're saving." Quietly Jack stood up, gently set the doohickey back on Sam's table, and turned to walk out of the office. Stopping at the door he turned briefly and looked at her. "Think about it Carter."

Λ

"I don't care Sergeant. How many times do I have to tell you that?"

Jack smiled as he heard the voice coming through the door. Hesitating only a second, he rapped sharply on the office door.

"Enter." Came the gruff reply. "Sergeant, you make the choice, I don't want to hear about his again." Landry set the phone down a little harder than necessary as Jack entered his office.

"Having fun yet Hank?" Jack asked as he tried unsuccessfully to hide the smirk on his face.

"Remind me again, Jack, why we became generals." Hank grumbled as he smiled and shook Jack's hand.

"So that we can have the honor of flying a desk and answering the top 100 dumbest questions." Jack laughed. "So what was this one? Commissary menu or paint color?"

Hank chuckled with Jack as they spent the next several minutes reminiscing about the good old days when they had been asking the dumb questions instead of answering them.

"Not that I'm not enjoying this trip down memory lane with you Jack, but I have to ask: what brings you to Colorado?" Hank sobered slightly.

"I was wondering when we would get to that." Jack sighed. "After never-ending meetings with the President and Joint Chiefs, I have finally convinced them that I am of more use here."

"Here?"

"Everything I oversee – NORAD, the SGC, Area 51, Peterson – are all on this side of the country, yet they have me based in Washington making periodic trips out here. Now I'll be based out here and will make bi-weekly trips to Washington."

"Makes sense to me."

Λ

The next morning, Jack walked into the commissary and scanned the room. Spotting the object of his search, he grabbed a bowl of cereal and headed across the room to the furthest corner. Using his black ops training he managed to stop right behind the occupied chair without being heard.

"Morning Space Monkey. Whatcha doin'?"

Daniel jumped so high and spun so fast that his coffee flew from his mug across the table and onto the floor. Jack stifled back a laugh at Daniel's response.

"Jack! What are you doing here?"

"You know, I have gotten that response from everyone here at the base."

"Not everyone O'Neill."

This time it was Jack's turn to be surprised. Turning around he took in the huge form of his favorite Jaffa.

"Hey Teal'c." Jack said with a big grin.

The big Jaffa's only response was an almost imperceptible nod of the head, before sitting down next to Daniel with a huge tray of food.

"You didn't answer my question Jack." Daniel said, once Jack was settled in and eating his cereal.

"What question?" Jack asked innocently. Seeing the look on Daniel's face, Jack almost choked as he tried to swallow both his bite of cereal and his laugh. "Oh, right. Why am I here? Well, that's an easy one. Considering that I head up Area 51, NORAD, the SGC, and Peterson, all of which are located on this side of the country, I decided it was more practical for me to work from here and fly to Washington once or twice a month for meetings instead of the other way around."

"So you're going to be stationed _here_?" Daniel asked incredulously.

"Not here at the SGC. I'll be stationed at Peterson."

"Peterson? Why?"

"This is Hank's command. Having two Generals would be too much."

"Why do I get the feeling that you're not telling us everything Jack?"

"I don't know what you're talking about Daniel."

"I concur with Daniel Jackson. It does appear that you are not telling us everything O'Neill."

Jack turned and glared at Teal'c. His glare, which would frighten the toughest of marines, had no affect on the big Jaffa. Teal'c merely raised one eyebrow as if daring Jack to disagree. Jack shook his head.

"With the Ori practically at our door I thought it best that I was closer, nothing more guys."

Λ

Daniel walked out of the commissary and immediately headed towards his lab. He had been shocked when Jack had shown up. He was used to having a heads up when Jack came to Colorado. As he pondered things his feet propelled him away from his lab and towards Sam's. By the time he realized where he was going, he had already stopped in front of Sam's door. Deciding that since he was there he should stop and say good morning, he popped his head in. Daniel's face broke into a smile when he saw Sam once again asleep on her computer keyboard. Walking over to her he placed his hand on her shoulder and gently shook her awake.

"Sam. Sam. You've fallen asleep at your computer again."

Sam opened her eyes slowly at the gentle shaking and Daniel's voice. Suddenly her eyes flew open as she remembered her encounter with Jack late the night before.

"Daniel you will not believe the crazy dream I had last night."

"Sam you will never guess who is here."

Both had started to speak at the same time, and stopped once they realized it. Daniel and Sam chuckled at what had just happened."

"So what was this crazy dream you had last night?" Daniel asked.

"Don't worry about it; we can talk about it later. Who's here?"

"So I'm sitting in the commissary enjoying my morning coffee…" Daniel proceeded to tell her all about his encounter with Jack.

As she listened, Sam began to realize that maybe _her_ encounter with Jack hadn't been a dream after all.

Λ

In the Pegasus Galaxy:

Young Verocon truly hated foraging for his father's favorite food. It wasn't that he didn't love his father, he just didn't like foraging. It was hot, tiring, and he always came away with a sore back from bending over. Then of course there was the stench of the animal that smelled out the Orana. Verocon had just bent to pick up a couple, when he heard a familiar whine overhead that made his heart stop. Dropping his basket and releasing the leash he ran towards the caves his village used to hide from the Wraith.

"Verocon!"

As he entered the caves, Verocon was caught up in his father's arms. Silently the two waited, with the rest of their village, for the Wraith to leave. The whining continued for a few moments before stopping in an explosion.

"Haná."

Verocon looked up to see the rest of the village elders beckoning to his father. With a reassuring pat on Verocon's head, Haná stood and moved to a far corner of the cave.


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1 –**

"Unscheduled offworld activation!"

"What is it?" Colonel John Sheppard demanded as he entered the control tower.

"We're receiving IDC and radio signal Colonel. It's from the Anadim."

"Let's hear it."

"Colonel Sheppard, this is Haná of the Anadim, do you copy?"

Dr. Elizabeth Weir entered the control tower in time to hear the radio transmission. Glancing briefly at her, John turned back to the technician and nodded his head.

"Open a channel." He said to the technician. When he got the go ahead he continued. "This is Colonel Sheppard, go ahead Haná."

"Thank the ancestors. Colonel we need your help. Not long ago our whole village moved to the caves, thinking the Wraith were here to cull our planet. After a few moments, the sound of the Wraith darts ended in an explosion. The other Elders and I ventured forth to investigate." Here Haná paused.

John shot a glance at Elizabeth before prompting Haná.

"What did you find Haná?"

"We found a single ship that does not appear to be Wraith." Again Haná paused. "Colonel, your level of technology is far greater than ours. We, the elders that is, were hoping that you and your team would aid us in this situation."

John gave the technician a signal to mute the transmission. "What do you think Elizabeth?"

"They _are_ our allies." Elizabeth responded. "Wraith or not, this might be a technology we could use here or on Earth."

John nodded. "I agree. Unmute the transmission. Haná, my team and I will come through the stargate within the hour."

"Thank you. And Colonel, perhaps you should bring Dr. Beckett."

Λ

"Welcome Colonel." Haná greeted as SGA1 walked through the stargate. "It is an honor to see you again Dr. McKay, Ronon, Teyla, Dr. Beckett."

"How is your family Haná?" Teyla asked in greeting.

"They are very well Teyla, thank you."

"Why did we need Dr. Beckett Haná?" John asked.

"There is a young woman in the ship that crashed. We did not move her for fear that we would injure her more." Haná responded.

"Where is she?" Carson demanded gently.

"Come, I will show you."

Λ

"Well Rodney?" John asked as McKay walked back around the back of the ship.

"It's definitely not Wraith." Rodney replied and everyone breathed a sigh of relief. "It appears to have a few similar aspects to Ancient technology, but has some decided differences as well."

"Carson, how are you coming?" John yelled.

"She's unconscious. Other than that I won't know until we get her back to Atlantis." Carson replied as he stepped away from the ship.

"Very well. Teyla help Rodney gather a few pieces of the ship. Ah!" John cut McKay off before he could interrupt. "We'll send a science team to bring the rest to Atlantis tomorrow. Right now the single passenger is our first priority. Ronon you and I will help Carson."

Λ

As SGA1 moved back toward the gate with the ship's "little black box" and its lone passenger, Teyla ran ahead to update Elizabeth and to have a medical team standing by.

Once back in the gateroom, Carson took off to the infirmary with his patient and Rodney took off to his lab, leaving John, Ronon, Teyla, and Elizabeth standing in the gateroom.

"Well?" Elizabeth asked.

John shrugged. "The mission seemed fairly routine, but we won't know what's going on until Doctors McKay and Beckett are done with their preliminary exams." He started to head to the infirmary, but stopped. "Oh and we should probably send a team to retrieve the rest of that ship."

Λ

"What?!" Rodney exclaimed as he read the readouts from the "black box" on his computer screen. Grabbing his laptop he ran toward Elizabeth's office. Not finding her there, he moved to check the briefing room.

"…doesn't appear to be much damage…" Carson stopped mid-sentence as Rodney burst into the room.

"Elizabeth…" Rodney stood there trying to catch his breath.

"What is it Rodney?" Elizabeth tried to keep the annoyance out of her voice.

"You have to see these readings." Rodney finally said as he moved to plug his laptop into the display.

"What are we looking at?" Carson asked.

"These are the readings from the "black box" I brought back." Rodney explained.

"My god." Carson mumbled as he read.

"I think I missed something." John said.

"According to these readings," McKay explained. "The ship was set on autopilot, had been for awhile, and was headed directly for Atlantis."

"What?!" John exclaimed.

"Oh it gets better Colonel." Rodney continued. "The computer was programmed with a message that was to be delivered to Elizabeth."

"The computer was to deliver the message?" John scoffed. "Why not the passenger?"

"She was de-aging." Carson added.

"Say what?"

"Perhaps I can explain Colonel Shepherd."

"What are you doing here?" Carson exclaimed as he stood up. "You should be resting in the infirmary."

"As I'm sure your scans told you Dr. Beckett, I'm fine." The young woman found by the Anadim said. "Although the fact that I'm standing here means that something else is terribly wrong."

"Was Atlantis not your destination?" Teyla asked.

"Yes, but…" the young woman paused. "Perhaps I should start from the beginning." She said as she took a seat. "My name is Jacquelyn Danielle O'Neill. My father is Major General Jack O'Neill retired."


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2 –**

"The last time I checked General O'Neill was not retired." Elizabeth responded.

"That's my point, Dr. Weir." Jackie stated.

"I don't get it." Ronon interjected.

"Eleven months ago I was kidnapped from Earth by an Ori Prior, right in the middle of my second birthday party." Jackie began.

"Are you saying that you are only three years old?" Carson asked incredulously.

Jackie nodded as she continued, "I was taken to the Ori Galaxy where the Ori proceed to age me two decades over the course of three days. During the aging process they imparted much of their knowledge to me and set up a mind link with them."

"Excuse me?" John interrupted. "A mind link?"

"Please Colonel, allow me to explain." Jackie responded. When John and Elizabeth both nodded their assent, she continued. "The Ori were attempting to cheat in their fight to convert the Milky Way Galaxy, however they failed to take one minor detail into account. I don't know if you noticed this Dr. Beckett, but not only do I have the ATA gene, but I have the next evolution of it. Because of this my Dad and I had a special connection when I was young. Even though the Ori aged me in every aspect – emotionally and mentally besides the physically – I never forgot the bond. As the Ori attempted to brainwash me, I silently clung to the memories of my Dad.

"Apparently they thought they succeeded, because eventually I was allowed to move around with a little more freedom. At that point I began to realize that the Ori should have known what I was doing to undo their brainwashing."

"From what the SGC has told us, they should also have known that they hadn't been successful." McKay interrupted.

"Exactly." Jackie picked up her tale again. "As I began to realize all this, I decided to try something. I wandered a little further than usual and stayed out longer than usual. During this time the Priors connected with the Ori."

"What do you mean connected?" McKay again interrupted.

"Because the Lantians hid the Milky Way and Pegasus Galaxies from the Ori, they have to rely on regular connections with the Priors for all their information regarding these two galaxies." Jackie explained.

"That _actually_ makes sense." McKay responded.

Jackie smiled. "While the Priors were "uploading" the current events I began to think things that were not Ori approved. Nothing happened. I'm not 100 percent sure, but I think the fact that I have the ATA gene gave me an advantage. They thought that the gene would make me a better candidate, but it also apparently gave me the ability to choose _how_ to use the power given to me.

"Three months ago, after I managed to convince a group of anti-Ori rebels that I wasn't brainwashed and that I had overcome what the Ori had tried to do, I used a communication device to contact my parents. I found out that they had located Merlin's weapon and were ready to use it on the Ori. Not knowing how the weapon would affect me, I managed to swipe a spaceship and hightailed it out of there at the first opportunity. I knew that the Pegasus Galaxy was closer than the Milky Way so I set a course for Atlantis. After a couple days I began to realize that once the Ori were destroyed I would probably revert back to being a toddler. So at that point I recorded a message that would explain the situation to you so that you could send me home. Then I set the ship on autopilot and set it up to monitor my de-aging process."

"According to these readings you started the de-aging process." McKay told Jackie.

"Are you sure?" Jackie asked, unnerved by the fact. When McKay nodded, she moved over next to him. "May I?" She asked, indicating his laptop.

With another nod from McKay, she started to scroll through the readings he had taken from her ship.

"Damn." Jackie mumbled as she continued through the readings.

"Under the circumstances that isn't something I like hearing." John spoke up. "Care to share?"

"I did start to de-age." Jackie said without looking up. "According to these readings I had been de-aging for a couple days – apparently the de-aging process is slower than the aging process. Near the planet where my ship went down there was an explosion which threw my ship off course and into the atmosphere of the planet. Sometime between the explosion and the ship crashing into the surface of the planet, I returned to this age."

"What would cause that to happen?" Elizabeth asked.

Jackie shook her head and shrugged her shoulders. "I'm really not sure. The only thing that I can think of that explains it…"

"You're from an alternate universe." McKay interrupted.

Jackie nodded. "Everything seems to fit. You were surprised when I said I was Jack O'Neill's daughter, he's not retired here. I started to de-age – probably when my parents used the weapon – and then suddenly aged again." Jackie paused for a moment. "The Ori haven't been defeated here have they?"

"Last I heard from Stargate Command, SG1 was still looking for Merlin's weapon without success." Elizabeth responded.

"Since the Ori were the source of my aging, when I jumped into a universe where they are still undefeated, I returned to this age." Jackie sighed.

"So what do we do now?" John asked.

"I contact the SGC." Elizabeth replied. "General O'Neill will need to be made aware of the situation. Rodney, set up a feed that we can relay to the SGC and that can be sent on to General O'Neill in Washington unopened." Rodney nodded.

"Elizabeth," Carson spoke up before everyone left. "We should probably also request General O'Neill's medical records."

Elizabeth nodded before everyone moved away from the briefing room.


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3 –**

"Unscheduled offworld activation!" Walter's voice rang through the SGC.

Jack, who had been on his way to the control room anyway, was the first one to arrive. "What is it Walter?" He asked as he bounded up the stairs.

"Receiving radio signal from the intergalactic station, General." Walter responded as he turned the klaxons off.

"Let's hear it."

"_Stargate Command this is Major Johnson at the intergalactic station. I have a secure message from Atlantis to be passed directly to General O'Neill in Washington._"

Walter glanced up at Jack. He was smiling mischievously. Returning the General's smile, Walter opened a radio channel.

"This is General O'Neill, what can I do for you Major?" Jack said, his eyes glinting at the humor.

"_General! I thought you were in Washington._"

"I was, up until yesterday. What is the message from Atlantis Major?" Jack finally got down to business.

"_I don't know General. I was just told to forward the electronic file directly to you. Dr. Weir made sure to tell me that it is for your eyes only._"

"Very well, Major, send it through."

"_Yes sir._"

A moment later the wormhole disengaged and Jack looked at Walter.

"We received the file, sir."

"Good. Lock it. I'll open it in Daniel's lab."

"Yes sir."

Λ

"Damn it!" Jack exclaimed as he sat in Daniel's lab.

Daniel hadn't been pleased about being interrupted, but since Jack had settled quietly in a corner with the borrowed laptop, he had continued with his own work. However, the outburst from the corner where Jack sat caught Daniel's attention.

"What's wrong Jack?" Daniel asked, worry lacing his voice.

Without saying a word, Jack picked up the laptop and placed it in front of Daniel. Daniel spent the next several minutes reading the report from Atlantis.

"What are you going to do?" Daniel asked as he finished and looked up.

"I'm going to Atlantis." Jack stated flatly.

"That's it?"

"Yeah."

"But what about…?"

"Daniel." Jack warned, interrupting Daniel mid-sentence.

Λ

_Flashback:_

"_What?!" Daniel exclaimed at Jack's news. "So you're saying that not only is Jackie from the future, but she's your daughter from the future?" Jack simply nodded. Daniel sat down hard on his couch. "Who's her mother?"_

"_She wouldn't tell me." Jack stated matter-of-factly._

_Daniel gave Jack a look. "But you know." It was a statement, not a question._

_There was a long pause as Jack decided whether or not to say anything. Heaving a big sigh, he too stood up and began to pace. Pausing, he looked down at Daniel. "Yeah, I know."_

"_Well?" Daniel prompted when Jack didn't elaborate._

"_She had Sam's eyes."_

Λ

"She should know Jack." Daniel ignored the warning tone in Jack's voice.

"We've been over this Daniel." Jack growled.

Λ

"_You're saying that…" Daniel paused; he just could not make the words come out of his mouth._

"_Yeah."_

"_So…how are you going to share that bit of information?"_

"_I'm not."_

"_What? Jack, you can't be serious."_

"_I'm very serious Daniel."_

"_But Jack, she's her mother for crying out loud!"_

"_What am I going to do Daniel? Walk into Carter's lab and say 'Hey Sam, Jackie's our daughter, wanna get to it?'"_

"_Well, I wouldn't exactly go about it in that way." Daniel mumbled._

"_There's too much going on in the galaxy, and too much history between us."_

"_Jack…"_

"_No Daniel! I've made my decision, now please, just respect my wishes."_

_Daniel nodded slowly. Jack could be a stubborn pain in the ass, but in his own twisted way he did have a point…_

Λ

"So you're going back to Atlantis." Daniel said. "You're just going to keep ignoring this huge elephant in the room."

"There's no elephant Daniel, she doesn't know, so therefore there is no elephant. And yes, I'm going back to Atlantis. Whoop-de-doo."

Λ

"Damn if that isn't the weirdest sensation!" Jack exclaimed as he stepped out of the wormhole at the intergalactic station.

"Welcome to the IGC General." A young man, that Jack assumed to be Major Johnson, greeted. "How was your trip?"

"Longer than usual, and extremely strange."

"Yeah, get that a lot. It'll be a moment before the wormhole to Atlantis is established. I'd give you a tour of the IGS, but there really isn't much to it." Major Johnson finished by giving a wide sweep of his arms as emphasis.

"The IGS?" Jack questioned.

"Yes sir, intergalactic station, IGS."

"You guys need to get out a little more often." Jack chuckled.

"Yes sir!" Major Johnson heartily agreed.

Λ

"Doctor!"

Carson, who had been talking to John, spun around at the loud shout from one of his nurses. Hurrying over to the bed she was standing next to, he saw Jackie in what he could only guess was a catatonic state.

"What happened Lieutenant?" Carson demanded.

"I don't know Dr. Beckett. One minute she was talking to me, the next she was like this."

As Carson began to examine Jackie, a disturbing thought occurred to John. "You don't suppose…?"

Carson looked up and read the worry in John's eyes. "I really don't know Colonel Sheppard. This is all new territory for me."

Jackie chose that instant to launch out of the bed. When John attempted to stop her she ran into him, knocking him off balance, and bolted out the door.

"Sheppard to Ronon and Teyla."

"Ronon here."

"Ronon, our guest just went crazy on us and ran out of the infirmary. I'm attempting to follow her. You should be able to head her off at the gateroom."

"Understood."

Λ

Jackie ran into the gateroom and immediately found herself lying on her back with Ronon's gun aimed at her face. Colonel Sheppard and Dr. Becket entered from the direction of the infirmary, Teyla entered from the opposite end of the gateroom and Doctors Weir and McKay entered from the control room.

"What is going on?" Elizabeth demanded as she arrived at the base of the stairs.

"That's what I'd like to know." John responded.

"Unscheduled offworld activation."

Everyone in the gateroom looked at the stargate in apprehension. Had Jackie inadvertently alerted the Ori to the location of Atlantis? Their tension lowered only slightly as the shield came into place over the gate. Elizabeth dared a glance up at the control room, waiting to see if there would be an IDC sent through.

"IGS IDC."

Λ

"Atlantis has lowered their shield General; you're cleared to go through." Major Johnson announced.

"Thank you Major. I guess I'll see you on my way back through."

"Yes sir." Major Johnson saluted.

Jack returned his salute before stepping through the stargate and finishing his journey to Atlantis. The words that Jack had planned on saying upon arriving in Atlantis, died on his lips at the sight that greeted him. All of SGA1 plus Doctors Elizabeth Weir and Carson Becket were standing over someone, or something, aiming weapons at whatever it was. Every face registered shock and surprise at seeing Jack walk through the stargate.

"General O'Neill, what a surprise!" Elizabeth finally found her voice. "Welcome back to Atlantis."

"Thank you Dr. Weir. I thought the circumstances warranted my personal attention."

"Sir!" Colonel Sheppard came to attention and saluted.

"At ease, Colonel."

"Dad?"

In the moment when John moved to attention, a clear line of sight was opened up for both Jackie _and_ Jack.

"Someone care to explain just what the hell is going on?"


	5. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4 –**

"So…care to explain what happened before I came through the gate?" Jack asked as he rolled his sleeve back down. He threw a glare at the retreating nurse who had taken his blood, before turning to look at Jackie.

Jackie shrugged and looked away. She would have liked to completely turn away, but was kept from doing just that by restraints.

"I'd like to remove those," Jack eluded to the restraints. "But I can't until we are certain that you aren't a risk to Atlantis…or Earth."

"In your line of work can you ever be certain of anything?" Jackie asked, still not looking at Jack.

"There isn't much." Jack conceded. "But I am always certain in my faith in family and friends…when they're honest with me."

Jackie turned and looked at the man who was identical to her father. In her head she knew he wasn't actually her father, but a part of her wanted nothing more than to be wrapped up in one of his hugs.

"You read the report?" Jackie asked quietly.

"Mmhmm."

"Then you know that I have this connection with the Ori?"

"Yeah." Jack paused. Suddenly realization hit. "The Priors were doing that uploading thing." Jackie nodded. "Did the Ori sense you?" Jack was suddenly concerned.

"No." Jackie responded. "It was more of a risk in my own universe, but here they are not even aware of my existence, much less the connection I have to them."

"So the aggression?"

"Their thoughts fill my head and their emotions…" Jackie paused.

"Become yours." Jack finished for her. Jackie nodded.

Jack reached over and took Jackie's hand. The two sat like that for several minutes, both lost in their own thoughts.

"Jack?"

"Hmm?"

"Who's Adria?"

Jack's eyes flew up to meet Jackie's. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly.

"Do you know Vala?" Jack asked quietly.

"Yeah." Jackie replied, curious where this was leading.

"In an attempt to stop the Ori from entering our galaxy, she ended up in theirs. The Ori impregnated her and she gave birth to a little girl who was, in essence, Ori in human form."

"This universe's bigger and badder version of what the Ori wanted to make me."

"Yeah, pretty much." Jack sighed again. Reaching over, he undid the restraints.

Λ

"You're sure General?" Elizabeth asked as Jack finished updating her.

"Don't you think that the Ori would be interested in the last remaining city of the Lantians?" Jack asked.

"You think that the Priors would be here if they had found out about Atlantis from Jackie?"

"It would make sense."

"What is your plan of action then?"

"I want a better understanding of what is going on before we return to Earth." Jack replied. "As far as we know, the Ori don't yet know about the Pegasus Galaxy."

"And you don't want the interruptions that will inevitably come by being so near the Priors." Elizabeth stated.

"Exactly." Jack paused. "That is if you don't mind having a couple of house guests."

Λ

By that evening Jackie had been released from the infirmary and had settled in her temporary quarters that were across the hall from Jack's. They had gotten the results back from Dr. Beckett in regard to the paternity test. Jackie had wondered what Jack's response would be, but found his non-response even more perplexing. She decided to go and talk to him about it.

"Hey Jackie." Jack looked up as Jackie entered his quarters. "Everything okay?"

"Just been thinking." Jackie said as she sat down.

"Well if you're anything like your mother, you probably don't ever stop thinking." Jack teased.

"Wait, you know who my mother is?" Jack nodded. "But how, I didn't say anything."

"I know, neither of you would. I just kind of figured it out for myself."

"Neither of us?"

Jack bit his lip and looked at her. "I don't suppose you'd remember someone named Dr. Jacquelyn Nielson coming and saving my life?" Jackie shook her head. "Well…" Jack proceeded to tell Jackie the story of how the Jackie from this universe, and from the future had come back to save his ass.

"I guess that answers both my questions then." Jackie said as Jack finished his story.

"What was your other question?"

"I was just wondering why you didn't at all seem surprised that I was your daughter."

Jack simply smiled.


	6. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5 –**

Four days had passed since Jack walked through the gate in Atlantis. By an unspoken agreement, Jackie was allowed to move around the city, but only when accompanied by a member of the Atlantis team and/or Jack. She understood the precaution; after all, she had become violent the first time she connected with the Ori.

At least once a day, but as many as three times, Jackie would find herself connected to the Ori when the Priors connected. Over the four days, she struggled to control her response when it happened. She made enough progress that by the end of day four, everyone had relaxed partially in regard to her presence.

Day three had found Jackie in McKay's lab. At first she just watched or would lend a hand when McKay needed more than his two. Soon, Jackie was offering insights that led to breakthroughs on many of his projects. Had it been anyone else, McKay would have shot down any such insights. But seeing as how Jackie had knowledge from "relatives" of the Ancients, he couldn't very well just blow her off.

Rodney began to feel like he had something to prove by day eight. So he started showing off some of his successes. Shortly after lunch he led Jackie and Jack to the shuttle bay to show off yet some more. They were met there by the rest of SGA1. While Jackie followed McKay into one of the shuttles, Jack stayed to talk with John, Teyla, and Ronon.

"Rodney still showing off Sir?" John asked as his eyes followed the pair.

"I've never seen McKay fawn over someone like this." Jack said in wonder.

"I've never actually seen McKay admit that anyone was smarter than him." Ronon laughed.

The four laughed and joked, mostly at McKay's expense. They were so caught up in sharing funny anecdotes that they completely lost track of time until McKay's voice brought them back.

"General O'Neill!"

Λ

McKay was so busy showing off and explaining his methods that he didn't realize the laughter coming from outside the puddle jumper was at his expense. He had moved on from explaining his modifications to the jumper and was explaining how he had rewritten the program for the intergalactic gate system to take them elsewhere than Atlantis. He was on a role when he noticed that Jackie wasn't listening.

"Jackie?" Then McKay realized that she wasn't just not listening, she was catatonic – a state he hadn't seen her in for at least three days. "Damn. General O'Neill!"

Λ

At hearing the near panic in McKay's voice, Jack's face was immediately devoid of laughter and he was sprinting towards the jumper McKay and Jackie had gone into. SGA1 was hot on his heels as he entered the jumper.

"What happened McKay?" Jack demanded.

Rodney pointed to the front of the jumper. "She's catatonic."

Without a second thought Jack moved to where Jackie sat. As he did, both the bulkhead door and the rear door shut, trapping SGA1 and Jack in the rear of the jumper. As they stood there in shock, the jumper powered up and began to move.

"O'Neill to Jackie." Jack said as he tapped his ear piece. "Come in Jackie." There was no response. "Damn."

Λ

"Dr. Weir!" One of the gate technicians yelled.

"What's going on?" Elizabeth asked as she jogged into the control room.

"The gate is dialing out, Ma'am, and I can't stop it." The technician explained.

"How is it dialing?"

"It's being dialed remotely."

"Jumper?"

"I believe so, Ma'am."

"Weir to Colonel Sheppard."

"_Sheppard here._"

"Care to explain what's going on John?"

"_When I know Elizabeth, you'll know._"

"_Dr. Weir, this is O'Neill. We seem to be in a situation out of our control._"

"General?"

"_McKay was showing off again, when Jackie went catatonic. When Sheppard, Teyla, Ronon and I came to assist, she locked us in the rear compartment of the jumper._"

"Wait, Jackie has control of the jumper and she's currently connected to the Ori?"

"_I'm afraid so._" Jack sighed. There was defeat in his voice.

"_He's going to kill them._"

"_Jackie?_" Jack was surprised to hear her voice over the radio.

"Who is going kill who Jackie?" Elizabeth asked as she watched the puddle jumper descend into the gateroom.

"_I have to save them…_" And the jumper was gone.

Λ

"Well hello." Major Johnson said as the jumper stopped mere inches from where he stood. He frowned when he saw Jackie through the window. "Who are you?"

But Jackie wasn't paying any attention to the man she had almost plowed over. Instead she was busy rewriting the destination code for the second half of their trip to the Milky Way Galaxy.

Λ

"_Johnson to puddle jumper 1, respond._"

"Major Johnson?"

"_General O'Neill! I didn't realize…_"

"SGA1 and I are trapped in the back of the jumper. Can you tell us what is going on in the…Major Johnson?" Jack asked as he heard static. "Damn. I guess I should extend a welcome to all of you."

"Sir?" John asked.

"We're in the Milky Way Galaxy Colonel."

"Are you saying that we're at the SGC?" McKay exclaimed.

"No Rodney, we're not at Stargate Command." Jackie responded.

Everyone in the back of the ship turned to see the bulkhead door open, Jackie sitting in the pilot seat, and trees spread out in front and below them as they flew.

"What's going on Jackie? Where are we?" Jack asked as he moved to the forward compartment.

"He's going to kill them." Jackie responded.

"Yeah, I got that the first time." Jack snidely remarked.

Jackie looked up at him. "Take over." She said as she stood up. "There's a village 25 clicks north of the gate."

"And what are you going to do?" John asked as he took the copilot's chair.

"I have to save them."

"How?" Ronon asked.

"General, when we get to the village, hover over the Prior. Once I give you the signal land outside the village, drop off SGA1, then fly to that mountain range. Turn off the jumper and any and all electrical equipment. Colonel, take your team and help the SG team get all the villagers as far away from the village as possible. Once you are off the jumper, turn off your radios and all other electronic equipment." Jackie instructed as she moved about the jumper.

"What will you be doing?" Teyla asked.

The sound of the bulkhead door closing was her only answer. As the sound reverberated throughout the forward compartment, five pairs of eyes turned and looked at it.

"I should just turn this thing around." Jack mumbled in annoyance.

"_No!_" Jackie exclaimed into her radio. "_Dad…this is P7X-277._"

"Wait a minute, why does that designation sound so familiar?" Jack replied. There was no response from Jackie, but he didn't need it, he knew. "Damn it!" He exclaimed.

"Sir?" John ventured. He had heard Jackie's comment.

"P7X-277 was on the mission list for SG1." Jack growled.

"_Trust me. Please._"

Λ

"_Jackie, we're approaching the village._" Jack commented over the radio.

Jackie had spent the past several minutes preparing everything for her mission. "When we get to the village, go to the village square. The Prior, the villagers, and SG1 will be there. Then wait for my signal."

"_And what is this signal?_"

"You'll know."

"_We're in place._" Jack grumbled.

"Remember to turn off all electronic equipment." Jackie replied. She then moved to the back of the puddle jumper and opened the rear door. She took a deep breath before jumping to the ground.

Λ

"Sir, the rear door just opened." John said as he read the computer display.

"What the hell is she doing back there?" Jack asked. Just then the bulkhead door opened while the rear door closed.

"Jackie is no longer on the jumper." Teyla commented.

"What!?" Jack exclaimed.

"That would appear to be the signal Jackie was alluding to." Teyla replied.

"We were a good 20 feet above the ground." Jack mumbled as he moved towards the edge of the village. "If we get through this damn mission, I'm gonna kill her." He mumbled as SGA1 moved to exit the jumper. "Good luck SGA1."

"Thank you Sir." John replied.

As SGA1 moved back towards the village square, Jack flew away from the village grumbling the whole way about kids and no respect.


	7. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6 –**

As Jackie looked out over the edge of the rear door of the jumper, she could see all five members of SG1 suspended several feet above the ground, clutching their throats as if being choked. Leaning over a little further she could see the Prior standing under the jumper, using his staff to attack the SGC's flagship team. He had what Jack would call a maniacal grin on his face. Taking a deep breath Jackie did what she needed to do: she jumped. She had gauged the ground to be 20 feet below, so she did a flip and landed on her feet with bent knees and one hand touching the ground. Looking up she stared into the amazed faces of SG1.

Λ

Sam hovered above the ground with her team and struggled for breath. Many thoughts were running through her head. She thought about her life, her work, her family and friends. She wondered if after all the years of narrow escapes that SG1 had made, if this was to finally be their end. As her thoughts grew darker, a movement above her caught her attention. Glancing up she saw what looked like a body falling from the sky. When said body tucked into a flip before landing, she realized that whoever this was had jumped. But from where? However, that question was pushed into the back of her mind as the person now kneeling between SG1 and the Prior, looked up at SG1.

"_Jackie?_" Five minds thought simultaneously.

Λ

"Need some help guys?" Jackie asked as she slowly stood.

Daniel couldn't help but notice that the smirk on her face was very reminiscent of Jack.

As all five members watched, Jackie turned and stared down the Prior, who had barely acknowledged her arrival.

"Yoohoo." Jackie said, trying to get the Prior's attention. "Put them down." She ordered once she had it.

The Prior's only response was a sneer and a twist of his staff resulting in increased choking sounds from the five member team suspended behind her. In one swift motion Jackie's arm was raised and the Prior's staff was flying across the gap between them and into Jackie's hand.

Instantly SG1 fell to the ground behind Jackie, gasping for breath. The Prior attempted to retrieve his staff, but it didn't budge one centimeter from Jackie's hand.

"Uh uh. Don't think so." Jackie mocked. "Sam," Jackie said without turning. "SGA1 should be here shortly, they will fill you in as you move the villagers into the forest. Ah!" Jackie exclaimed as she turned her attention fully on the Prior. "_Don't even think of connecting to the Ori._"

"Jackie?" Daniel asked.

"Just go Daniel."

"Colonel Carter, Colonel Mitchell, Dr. Jackson, Teal'c, Vala!" John called as he and his team moved into the village square. "I have orders from General O'Neill."

"But…"

"Now Daniel!" Jackie interrupted. She could feel the Prior struggling to retrieve his staff. It was taking all her strength to keep him from getting it _and_ from connecting his mind to the Ori. With all the strain on her mind, she really had no patience to deal with Daniel's inquisitiveness. "Hurry."

Λ

Several minutes later, SG1 and SGA1 were leading the villagers away from the village and into the trees. They had all turned off their electronic equipment, despite the complaints and questions. Daniel found himself near the back of the crowd. He was helping an elderly man when a woman ran up to him.

"My daughter! I have to go back and get my daughter!"

"Maybe she's further ahead." Daniel tried to calm the woman.

"No! She was playing behind the house when the Prior came. I told her to remain hidden in the garden until I came for her." The hysterical mother cried.

Daniel sighed. "I'll go get her, where exactly is she?"

Using the knowledge of stealth he received from Jack, Daniel made his way back into the village. As he drew closer to the house that the little girl was supposed to be hiding behind, fear gripped his heart. Standing in front of the house and staring into the village square was a little girl no older than three years of age. Hurrying to the little girl's side he knelt down next to her.

"Alana?" He said, trying to get her attention. The little girl turned her head and looked at Daniel, fear filling her brilliant green eyes.

"Mommy?" Alana whimpered.

"She sent me to find you Alana. Let's go meet her, huh?" Daniel comforted as he held out his arms to Alana. She stepped into his arms, Daniel stood and turned to go back the way he'd come. As he did he took in the sight that Alana had been staring at. "My god." He said as he watched the silently intense confrontation between Jackie and the Prior.

Λ

Jackie found that she was able to relax as SG1, SGA1, and the villagers left. It was still a struggle to control the Prior, but without having to also worry about the lives of the others it was easier.

"Hallowed be the Ori." The Prior quoted.

"Yeah, don't think so." Jackie retorted.

"Those who do not follow the path of Origin will be destroyed."

"Again, don't think so." Jackie snarled. "In case you haven't noticed, I'm kind of kicking your ass at the moment."

"Who are you, that you dare defy the Ori or their messenger?"

"Oh that's an easy one…I'm an Ori experiment gone wrong."

"That is not possible, they are all-knowing."

"All-knowing my ass. If they were so all-knowing, I wouldn't be standing here now would I?" Jackie taunted. Then she felt it, a presence so small it couldn't be anything other than a child. It wasn't long before she also felt Daniel's presence.

_Good, Daniel, get her out of here._ Jackie thought briefly. She smiled inwardly as Daniel picked the girl up and turned to leave, but she was disappointed.

"My god." Daniel said.

Jackie turned and stared at Daniel. "Daniel get out of here now!" Jackie demanded just before everything turned to chaos.

The Prior took advantage of Jackie's moment of distraction. Jackie felt, rather than saw, the staff fly out of her hand.

"DANIEL GO!" Jackie exclaimed as she turned her full attention back to the Prior, just as he lifted his staff to attack.

Λ

Daniel had seen the intention on the Prior's face, but had not been able to warn Jackie in time. He found himself rooted to the spot as the staff once again flew across the gap between the two in the village square. Not until Alana buried her head in his neck did he come back to his senses. He didn't know what was going to happen, but he had a feeling that he wasn't going to have time to make it out of the village.

"DANIEL GO!" Jackie exclaimed.

The order was unnecessary, Daniel was already moving. He moved toward the closest house and slipped silently through the front door. Walking across the room, he set Alana down under a table.

"Stay put Alana, okay?"

Alana simply nodded in response. Taking that as an affirmation Daniel turned and moved back toward the front of the house. He placed himself just out of sight, but where he still had a view of the village square.

No sooner had Daniel looked out the window than he saw the Prior lift his staff and send Jackie flying across the square, barely missing the brick wall of the town hall. Daniel sucked in his breath, silently praying that Jackie was okay.

Λ

_Ow!_ Jackie thought as she laid on the ground a good 50 feet from where she had been standing a moment ago. _That's what I get for allowing Daniel to distract me._ Jackie gritted her teach and moved to stand up. As she began to move, she saw the Prior raise his staff to strike again. Turning onto her side instead of sitting up directly, she put her hand up and rebuffed the Prior's attack, sending it against him instead. By the time Jackie was standing up, the Prior was laying on the ground on the complete opposite side of the square.

The Prior hadn't been quite as lucky as Jackie. He _had_ been thrown up against the brick wall of the building facing the town hall. He, however, had no trouble standing to his feet. So once again, the two were at a silent face off. Later, Daniel would describe it as the calm before the storm.

Simultaneously Jackie and the Prior lifted their arms and attacked. Well, it was really more of the Prior attacking and Jackie repelling the attack and amplifying it toward the Prior. An explosion rivaling that of a nuclear warhead ensued.

Daniel had ducked down behind the wall and below the window as the attack happened. He never saw the explosion, but he felt its affects. Every inch of his body tingled as the explosion ebbed and finally died. When he finally felt that it was safe, he stood up and looked out the window. The sight that caught his eyes was nothing he expected. Dust still billowed through the wind and any structure that had actually been in the square was demolished.


	8. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7 –**

Jack really detested waiting and not knowing what was going on. He was especially concerned this time because Jackie was involved and he had no idea what was happening in the village below. He thought back briefly to when he first met Jackie – the Jackie of _his_ universe. He hadn't worried then. Of course, he hadn't exactly known that what was happening was dangerous until she showed up with cuts and bruises – then he had been pissed. But that was better than knowing about the danger and not being able to do anything about it.

Jack's thoughts were interrupted by what sounded like an explosion in the distance. A few minutes later he felt the residual effects of said explosion. An electromagnetic wave had rippled out from the village square and had not completely dissipated by the time it reached Jack and the mountains – a good 50 miles away.

As the EM wave moved on and Jack felt the tingling over his body dissipate, he turned on the jumper and prepared to return to the village.

Λ

Sam was beginning to wonder how far into the forest they were supposed to go, when she heard an explosion coming from the village.

"Everybody get down!" Sam yelled. As she got the villagers around her low to the ground, the rest of SG1 and SGA1 were doing the same.

Glancing around, Sam saw McKay messing with some device. Staying low to the ground, she moved the few feet to his position. As she came to his side, she realized what he was holding in his hand.

"Any idea what happened back in the village?" Sam asked quietly.

"There is a huge energy surge coming from the general direction of the village, but I can't tell what it is." Rodney answered as he studied the device in his hands. "Oh crap!"

"What?" Sam exclaimed.

"There's an EM pulse heading our way…" Rodney didn't get to finish his statement before the EM wave swept over all of them. "Damn!" Rodney exclaimed as he tried to get the device in his hands to work.

"Guess that's why we were told to turn off _all_ electronic equipment McKay." Sam smirked. Rodney just rolled his eyes in response. "Come on McKay." Sam said as she saw Mitchell motioning for them to move to his position.

Within a couple of minutes all of SG1 and SGA1, minus Daniel, were huddled together a short distance from the villagers.

"Where the hell is Jackson?" Mitchell complained.

Everyone looked around in confusion. Daniel wasn't anywhere to be found.

"Damn it!" Mitchell exclaimed. Looking at Sam with a raised eyebrow, he moved to turn on his radio. When she nodded, he turned it on and keyed it. "Jackson, do you copy?"

Λ

Daniel had felt the EM pulse pass him, but the effects hadn't lasted long. He guessed it was because of his close proximity to the source, but he wasn't sure, this was after all more of Sam's area of expertise. As he stood at the window surveying the damage done by whatever the hell it was, shock took over and made it impossible for him to move.

A quiet whimper from the back of the room brought Daniel back to his senses. As he turned to check on Alana, he turned on his radio.

"Hey sweetie," Daniel said as he knelt down in front of the little girl. "You stay put okay? You're mommy should be here soon to get you."

As the little girl nodded, Daniel stood up and moved back towards the window. But he stopped in his tracks as he heard static across the radio.

"_Jackson, do you copy?_"

"This is Jackson."

"_Where the hell are you?_" Mitchell responded crisply and angrily over the radio.

"In the village."

"_What?!?!_" Daniel wasn't sure, but he could have sworn he heard Cam cursing. "_May I ask _why_ Dr. Jackson?_" Mitchell's strained voice came through the radio.

"I promised a frantic mother that I would retrieve her daughter."

"_Well since you're there already, mind telling me what happened?_"

"I'm really not sure, I was hiding inside one of the houses, but from what I can see, the village square is a disaster zone."

"_And Jackie?_" Mitchell asked quietly after a pause.

"I don't know. It should be safe for all of you to return to the village. I'll see what I can find in the mean time."

Λ

"…_from what I can see, the village square is a disaster zone._"

Jack heard Daniel's voice over the radio. He had just turned it on as he flew back to the village. He hadn't actually expected anyone to be speaking over it.

"_And Jackie?_" Jack's heart stopped at Mitchell's words.

_Oh please, oh please…_ Jack thought as he waited for Daniel's response.

"_I don't know. It should be safe for all of you to return to the village. I'll see what I can find in the mean time._"

Never before had Jack wished so hard that he could get anywhere faster. He looked at the computer display before him; it would be at least another ten minutes before he arrived at the village. He only hoped that he wouldn't be too late.

Λ

Daniel hurried out the door as the radio went silent. Considering the little amount of information he'd been able to report, he knew the rest of his team would hurry back to the village. With that in the back of his mind, Daniel hurried across the village square to where he had last seen Jackie. Knowing who she was, he was anxious to know if she was alright.

Shortly, Daniel came to a pile of rubble near where he thought Jackie should be. He was about to move on, choosing to search around the pile, when he spotted something that tore at his heart: a hand sticking out from the rubble.

Λ

Teal'c had quickly outstripped the others as they all hurried back to the village. A mere three minutes later he ran into the village square. Upon scanning the square quickly, he caught sight of Daniel frantically moving rubble.

"What is wrong Daniel Jackson?" Teal'c asked as he hurried over to Daniel's side.

"Jackie…" Was all Daniel could get out.

But Teal'c understood. Immediately he picked up a heavy stone and tossed it aside.

Λ

Ronon was the next to arrive at the square, followed closely by Teyla. Both stopped in shock at the utter devastation before them. Feeling a hand on his arm, Ronon turned to look at Teyla. Looking in the direction she was pointing, he took in the sight of Daniel and Teal'c digging through the rubble. He turned back and looked at Teyla, understanding dawning in both simultaneously.

"Jackie!" They exclaimed together before hurrying over to help.

Λ

Sam, Mitchell, John, and Vala all arrived in the square shortly after Ronon and Teyla joined Daniel and Teal'c. With the military experience of the three, and Vala's years of focusing on self-preservation, they instantly noticed the group working in the rubble across the square. Immediately Mitchell and John moved to join them, but Sam held up her hand to stop them as she and Vala surveyed the rest of the square.

"Hold on." Sam said, scanning the rest of the square. "They can handle it." Cam and John gave her a strange look that she missed.

Sensing the confusion of the two men, Vala spoke up, "Where's the Prior?"

So while Daniel, Teal'c, Ronon, and Teyla worked to unbury Jackie, the three Air Force officers and Vala carefully walked through the square looking for the Prior.

Λ

McKay didn't make it to the village. Instead, he stopped just shy of running into the jumper as Jack lowered the shield. Seeing the nod from Jack, Rodney moved around the jumper and joined him inside.

"What's going on McKay?" Jack asked as Rodney moved toward the forward compartment.

"I'm not sure, General. I haven't heard anything from the others."

Jack simply nodded, then lifted off and moved the jumper toward the village square. The sight that met them scared Jack a lot more than he liked to admit. With his years of field experience, Jack took in the scene before him in one glance and knew what was going on. Landing the jumper on an almost clear spot, Jack moved out of it.

"Carter, you find anything?"

"Yes Sir, the Prior is gone." Jack nodded.

"Jack!"

Upon hearing his name from Daniel, Jack took off running toward the four digging out Jackie. He stopped dead in his tracks once he could see Teal'c leaning over Jackie.

"Teal'c?" Jack asked as he took in the sight of the ashen and bloody face of his daughter.

Teal'c looked up from taking Jackie's pulse. "Though faint and erratic, there is a pulse O'Neill."

Moving quickly into soldier mode so as not to slip into father mode, Jack nodded curtly. "Can you pick her up Teal'c?" At a nod from the Jaffa, Jack turned back towards the jumper. "Alright campers, let's book it, we've got to her back to the SGC."

There really was no need for Jack to say anything. Every single one of the 10 person combined team, was worried about Jackie. Within moments they were loaded into the jumper. Jack was driving, while the others either did what they could to help stabilize Jackie in the rear compartment, or sat quietly in the forward compartment wondering what happened in the village and if Jackie would survive it.


	9. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8 –**

Jack sat in the briefing room, impatiently waiting for everyone else to arrive for the debriefing. He was currently very grumpy. He had been pulled away from Jackie's bedside to sit through this debriefing and as of yet he was the only one here. He had always thought that being a Major General had to have its perks, but he wasn't currently seeing them. About the time that Jack was ready to storm into Landry's office and make a general announcement that SG1 and SGA1 should get their asses to the briefing room ASAP, people started to trickle in.

SGA1 entered first. Three of the four members talked and laughed as they entered. On another occasion Jack would have taken more notice of the fact that McKay seemed to be in his own world, but at the moment, Jack was too pissy to really care.

Since John was stationed at Atlantis instead of the SGC, he didn't really know General O'Neill all that well. However, over the last couple of years he had spent enough time with the General to be able to read his moods fairly accurately. So when he walked into the briefing room and saw the General sitting at the table silently, he immediately grew quiet. If asked, he wouldn't have been able to pinpoint what exactly O'Neill's mood was, but instinctively he knew it was not a good one, and that keeping a modicum of decorum was mandatory for survival.

This in mind, John, Teyla, Ronon, and McKay sat across the table from the General O'Neill, most of the rest of the team following his example and change of mood.

"Sorry for the delay Sir." John finally broke the deafening silence. "We were all just released from the infirmary. SG1 should be here shortly."

Jack barely acknowledged SGA1's presence, but he did nod briefly at Sheppard's explanation. Not five minutes later SG1 and Landry came into the briefing room – SG1 from the hall, Landry up the stairs from the control room. All six instantly recognized Jack's mood as they entered the room. Even Vala, who hadn't worked closely with Jack, knew that this was one of the few times that she should be on her best behavior. Only McKay seemed oblivious to the mood in the room as he studied readings from the device that he had left powered on when the EM wave hit.

"Will you put that damn thing away McKay!" Jack finally snapped.

Rodney looked up surprised. Glancing around the table he noticed everyone looking somewhere else. When he finally looked at General O'Neill, he saw a lot more than anger flash across his eyes.

"Sorry General." McKay apologized.

"Jack," Hank interrupted the stifling silence. "Shall we begin?"

Jack nodded briefly. "Since we are not all on the same page, Colonel Sheppard, perhaps you and your team should fill us in on the events that landed Jackie in Atlantis."

"Yes Sir." John said before delving into the long story.

Λ

"Should not Jacquelyn Nielson have been in the infirmary Colonel Sheppard?" Teal'c interrupted John as he told of Jackie walking into the debriefing in Atlantis.

John shot a look at Jack, who had visibly paled. But before either could respond to Teal'c's question, McKay spoke up.

"Nielson? Her name is Jacquelyn O'Neill."

Seven pairs of eyes turned towards Jack in question. SGA1, except for John, didn't understand the significance of the name Nielson, while SG1, except for Daniel, were shocked at the revelation that Jackie was related to Jack. He sighed; this was going to be a long debriefing.

"McKay speaks the truth." Jack's statement was met by silence and shocked expressions. "The person that SG1 knows as Jacquelyn Nielson is in fact Jacquelyn Danielle O'Neill, my daughter from the future. She came back using the jumper and time machine found when last visiting Maybourne." Jack paused for a moment. "Sheppard if you'll…"

"If you're her father, who's her mother?" Vala interrupted.

"Neither Jackie would tell me."

"But you know." Vala stated matter-of-factly.

"I have my suspicions. Now, Colonel, if you would continue."

"Of course General." John responded before continuing.

Λ

"Okay Danny-boy, your turn." Jack commented as SG1 finished their part of the debriefing.

"Excuse me?" Daniel muttered as he looked up. He hadn't meant to zone out, but he had.

"You were the only one to witness what happened in the village." Jack prompted.

"I wouldn't say the only one."

All eyes turned towards the door, shocked expressions on their faces at hearing Jackie's voice. Jackie stood in the open door wearing clean BDUs and a smirk on her face. No one was sure what surprised them more, the fact that Jackie was out of the infirmary or the fact that there was no evidence of her need to be in the infirmary.

"I take it you've all filled each other in on the separate events that led to our meeting on P7X-277?" Jackie asked as she moved into the room and took a seat near the end of the table. "So I guess it's my turn to explain what happened."

"Should you not be in the infirmary Jacquelyn O'Neill?" Teal'c asked.

"Yes she should." Dr. Lam responded as she hurried into the room.

"I'm fine Dr. Lam. Your test results proved that." Jackie sighed.

"Test results or not, I know what I saw when you came into the infirmary." Dr. Lam continued.

"Carolyn, why don't you have a seat? I believe that Jackie has a lot to explain." Jack broke in.

Carolyn moved to the end of the table and sat across from Jackie. She wasn't happy about Jackie being out of the infirmary, but at the same time she wanted some questions answered. When Jackie had first been brought into the infirmary she was battered, bruised, and unconscious. After running several tests and getting the results back, she was surprised to find Jackie awake and not a scratch on her. All the test results confirmed what she was seeing: nothing was wrong with Jackie. But none of it made sense.

"I'm afraid that I was not totally honest with you when we were in Atlantis." Jackie spoke directly to Jack. "There was more to my connection to the Ori than I was ready to admit. I wanted to be sure that I could remain in control when the Priors uplinked before I revealed the rest." Jackie paused.

"You need not have been afraid Jackie," Teyla spoke up. "This is not the first time that we have dealt with someone having a link to the enemy."

"Perhaps not." Jackie conceded. "But it is you who connects to the Wraith not the other way around."

"This information that you failed to mention," Ronon began. "It has something to do with the explosion in the village?"

"Yes. But before I explain…can anyone tell me what happened to the Prior?" Jackie asked.

John, Sam, Mitchell and Vala shared a look before Sam explained…

Λ

_Flashback:_

"_Hold on." Sam said, scanning the rest of the square. "They can handle it." Cam and John gave her a strange look that she missed. _

_Sensing the confusion of the two men, Vala spoke up, "Where's the Prior?"_

_So while Daniel, Teal'c, Ronon, and Teyla worked to unbury Jackie, the three Air Force officers and Vala carefully walked through the square looking for the Prior. They spread out into a grid formation to search the square. It didn't take long before Sam nearly tripped over the Prior's staff. A few feet away lay the Prior. Calling the others over, Sam moved closer to the Prior._

"_Wait Sam!" Mitchell exclaimed as he grabbed her arm. "We have no idea if this guy is dead."_

"_Um guys…" Vala began._

"_Well the only way we're going to find out is by checking." Sam retorted, ignoring Vala._

"_Mitchell! Carter!" John yelled to get their attention._

"_What?" Sam and Mitchell snapped together._

"_I'd say that's pretty good evidence." Vala said as she pointed to the Prior._

_The four stood in shocked silence as the Prior burst into flames and disappeared, leaving not trace of his existence._

Λ

Silence filled the room as Sam finished describing the Prior's demise for the second time.

"Hmm." Jackie broke the silence. "I knew they would spontaneously combust if captured or turned, but after they're already dead is…is a new one. Although I guess it makes sense." Jackie lapsed back into a thoughtful silence.

"Jackie how did you release us from the Prior?" Sam asked, hoping to prompt an explanation.

Jackie sighed. "Not only do I have a link to the Ori's thoughts, but…" She paused and sighed. "Like the Priors I have limited access to their power as well."

After a brief pause, everyone began speaking at once. This was the most incredible thing that they had witnessed in years.

"Ahem." Jack cleared his throat loudly. Everyone quickly fell silent. "Why didn't you tell me?" General O'Neill was no longer debriefing, Jack was speaking to his daughter.

The shift was lost on no one, Jackie least of all. "All of you were already freaked out by the link I had with the Ori. I wanted to be sure I could control it before I revealed that fact that we could now fight back…with their own power." Jackie sighed. "At least that was part of it." She bit her lip. "As far as I knew, the moment I used their power, my anonymity would be gone."

"In other words, the Ori now know of your existence because you saved our asses back on P7X-277." Cam muttered.

"No."

"What?" Everyone simultaneously exclaimed.

"The Ori don't know any more about me than they do most people in this galaxy."

"But you just said…" Sam stammered.

"I said as far as I _knew_. Fortunately I found a loophole."

"A loophole?" Daniel asked.

"They can't trace me if I'm pulling the power through the Priors."


	10. Chapter 9

_Sorry about the delay in posting. RL has been rather hectic what with the end of the term coming up... plus my muse has taken a bit of a hiatus (fickle creature that she is.). Hope you enjoy I'll try to get another posted sometime next week, but with it's going to be yet another hectic week, so it may be a couple before I can post. Hope you enjoy this chapter. It's kind of an in-between chapter. But it sets up some really exciting chapters to come._

* * *

**Chapter 9 –**

Jack sat in his office at the SGC. Even though Homeworld Security was now based out of Peterson, Landry had set up an office for Jack at the SGC. His reasoning being that if, for any reason, Jack was at the SGC for an extended period of time, he would still be able to work.

Both men had known the real reason for the office. Despite the number of years since Jack led SG1, they were still _his_ team, and every time something happened to one of them he would be hanging out at the SGC. Both men knew this, but neither one voiced it. There were just some things that didn't need to be said.

So now Jack sat in his office writing up his report about his trip to Atlantis and subsequent trip back. He was deciding if there were any facts that should be left out of his report to the President and Joint Chiefs, when a tentative knock sounded on his door.

After the debriefing, Dr. Lam had insisted on running a few more tests on Jackie. For her own peace of mind she had claimed. Jackie had acquiesced because she knew she wouldn't have any peace until she allowed Dr. Lam to run her tests.

Immediately after leaving the infirmary Jackie went in search of Jack. She knew that Landry had set up an office for him, but it was the last place she checked. As a last resort she headed towards the one room he would, at one time, have avoided at all costs. And there she finally found him so engrossed in paperwork that he didn't sense her watching him.

Allowing several minutes to pass while she watched Jack, Jackie finally knocked on the door, effectively gaining his attention.

Jack's head shot up at the knock on his door. He felt a warmth steal through him at the sight of Jackie in his door. Attempting to reign in his emotions, he leaned back in his chair and studied Jackie, his face a mask of indifference.

Portraying her mother's patience, Jackie watched Jack study her. The flash of emotion across his eyes had not escaped her. She couldn't help the smile that spread across her face as she watched him fiddle with his pen.

Jack raised an eyebrow at her smile. "Care to share? I could use a distraction right now." He said as he glanced at his report.

Still smiling, Jackie moved into Jack's office and took a seat across the desk from him. "You are so much like I remember him."

Jack raised an eyebrow at Jackie's remark.

"I know...stupid statement."

"Not that stupid." Jack reassured. "According to Carter the differences in alternate universes range from minute to huge."

Jackie smiled at his choice of words. However, the smile faded as she remembered why she had looked for him in the first place. "Dad, about what happened earlier…"

"So Dr. Lam cleared you?" Jack interrupted.

Jackie looked at him pointedly. "Dad."

He looked down at the pen in his hand. "I'm not good at this Jackie." He said as he looked back up at her.

"I know. I didn't come here to talk about that."

"Then what…"

Jackie held up a hand to stop his question. "I came to discuss the possibility of me taking a more active role in the SGC while I'm here."

"Jackie…"

"Dr. McKay said something as he left that has had me thinking." Jackie interrupted.

Λ

_Flashback:_

"_I'll do what I can from Atlantis to find a way to send you back." Rodney promised as he stood at the back of the puddle jumper in the gateroom._

"_Thank you Dr. McKay." Jackie responded._

"_I know that Sam is a good scientist," Jackie gave him a look. "Okay, a brilliant scientist." McKay prevaricated. "But she's also a field officer. With the way the battle against the Ori is going, she will be splitting her time between her lab and the field. By doing that, her progress will be slow and neither responsibility will be adequately fulfilled."_

"_What are you trying to say Dr. McKay?" Jackie asked._

"_With your talent and…abilities, you would be an invaluable asset to both areas of Sam's work."_

Λ

"No!" Jack said almost menacingly.

"Dad…"

"Not going to happen. End of story." Jack interrupted.

"Is that a no for the whole idea or just for me fighting the Priors?"

"I'm not going to have a repeat of today."

"It wouldn't be a repeat of today. Today, none of you knew what I was trying to do and I didn't know how it would turn out. With fewer unknowns there would be less risk."

"Jackie…"

"Dad, you are slowly but surely losing against the Ori incursion. Everyday more planets are converting or being destroyed. If we can't slow them down, they'll be knocking at Earth's door in just a matter of time."

"You can't single handedly fight all the forces of the Ori." Jack demanded.

"No. but I can take on a single Prior." Jackie returned.

"What do you mean?"

"If SG teams are sent to planets that have already been converted, they can alert us when a Prior visits. I go through, kick some Prior ass, then return to help in the lab." Jackie finished mater-of-factly.

Jack watched her in silence. She had a point, but that didn't mean he had to like it. "Fine. But…" Jack interrupted her burst of excitement. "Only on a trial basis for now. I reserve the right to pull the plug on this idea if I see fit."

"I understand." Jackie replied, barely able to contain her excitement.

"Report to Carter." Jack effectively dismissed Jackie. "I'll go talk to Hank."

Jackie simply nodded before hurrying out the door.

Watching her go, Jack shook his head. Just over a week and Jackie already had him wrapped around her little finger. He just hoped he wasn't making a huge mistake.

Λ

"Are you sure Jack?" Hank asked.

"No, I'm not sure. Unfortunately her arguments were sound. I had to at least give her a trial period." Jack grumbled.

Hank nodded. "I'll have Walter generate a list of converted planets, and then I'll mobilize SG teams 3-12."

"Thanks Hank."

Hank nodded and watched as his friend walked out of his office as though he had the weight of the galaxy on his shoulders.

Λ

Over the course of the next six days, Jackie was called offworld 15 times. Each time she came back tired, but unharmed. Jack kept a critical eye on her, waiting for the other shoe to drop.

As Jackie returned with SG5 from her 15th trip offworld, she stumbled a little as she moved down the ramp. Instantly her eyes flew to Jack's to see if he had seen her stumble. The look in his eyes told her that he had.

"Colonel, report." Landry spoke before Jack could.

"The Prior has been neutralized, Sir. With the defeat of the Prior, the people are rethinking their loyalties."

"That's what I like to hear." Landry allowed a small smile to brighten his face. "Report to the infirmary, we'll debrief in an hour."

"Yes Sir!"

"Um, Hank?"

"Yeah Jack?"

Jack turned so that their conversation was private. "Perhaps we could wait until tomorrow for the debriefing. Jackie needs to rest, she's overworking herself."

"Of course." Hank agreed as he took in Jackie's haggard look. He couldn't believe he'd missed it. "SG5 the debriefing will be tomorrow at 0800."

"Yes Sir."

Jack didn't miss the look that passed across Jackie's features. He knew she wasn't happy with him, but he wasn't going to let her run herself ragged.

"Jackie, a word?"

With a sigh, Jackie moved to where Jack was. "Yeah."

"After Dr. Lam clears you I want you to retire to your quarters." Jackie was about to argue but Jack cut her off. "You can continue saving the galaxy tomorrow." Jackie glared at him. Reaching up he pushed aside a stray strand of hair. "You won't do anyone any good if you are tired and weak." Jack raised his eyebrow. "Or do I have to officially suspend your jaunts offworld."

Jackie rolled her eyes. "Fine. I'll see you at 0800."

Λ

Jackie didn't like to admit it, but her dad was right: she was exhausted. After being checked over in the infirmary she had made her way to her quarters. Taking a long relaxing shower, she slipped beneath the sheets of her bed and was almost instantly asleep.

She had just closed her eyes when unfamiliar sounds startled her awake. Her eyes flew open and she stared around her in confusion. This was not the SGC! She vaguely recognized the style of architecture, but there was no way she could be where she thought she was. The sounds of footsteps caught her attention. Frantically she sought out a hiding place, but couldn't find one. As she watched in horror, two figures came around the corner. Instantly she recognized their armor. Her fears were correct…she was on an Ori ship.

* * *

_Muahahahaha...I know I'm evil...R & R and maybe my muse will get me to write the next chapter sooner..._


	11. Chapter 10

_I know I left you guys with a terrible cliff hanger last time. Sorry about that. The story is going to start getting a lot more interesting from here on out. But last chapter and this one had to kind of set everything up for the rest of the story. Hope you enjoy this one. Please review._

* * *

**Chapter 10 –**

_Last time: She had just closed her eyes when unfamiliar sounds startled her awake. Her eyes flew open and she stared around her in confusion. This was not the SGC! She vaguely recognized the style of architecture, but there was no way she could be where she thought she was. The sounds of footsteps caught her attention. Frantically she sought out a hiding place, but couldn't find one. As she watched in horror, two figures came around the corner. Instantly she recognized their armor. Her fears were correct…she was on an Ori ship._

Jackie watched in horror as the two Ori soldiers walked straight towards her. Closing her eyes she breathed a heavy sigh in resignation to her fate. She didn't know how but somehow they had found her. When nothing happened she opened her eyes again. In wide-eyed shock she watched as the two Ori soldiers not only walked past her without saying anything, but walked right through her.

They couldn't see her? Jackie stood there in dumbfounded silence. Reacting as her mother would, Jackie reviewed what facts she knew:

She was on an Ori ship

She was apparently invisible (especially since a couple more people had walked past, and through, her as she stood contemplating).

The last thing she remembered before opening her eyes on the Ori ship was falling asleep in her quarters at the SGC.

_That's it!_ Jackie realized. _The reason these people can't see me is because my body is still at the SGC. The link I have with the Ori must have made it possible for my mind to be here._

Not wanting to waste the opportunity presented to her, Jackie began exploring the ship. At the first opportunity to leave the hall she was on, she moved to turn left, but found herself drawn in the opposite direction. Turning around she looked at a solid wall.

_Well that's not helpful._ Jackie thought as she stepped forward. She reached out to the wall, hoping to ascertain why she was being drawn that way. She jumped back as her hand went through the wall instead of stopping at it. _Well why not?_ She asked herself. _After all, this is all in your head._ Smiling at her own joke, Jackie followed the sensation that was pulling her toward someone or something, and stepped through the wall.

Ten minutes, and several walls, later Jackie stopped in front of two very ornate doors guarded by a Prior. The feeling that had been drawing her through the Ori ship was originating behind those doors. She glanced briefly at the Prior. If she hadn't known better, she would have sworn he was looking straight at her.

In a sudden, unexpected movement, the Prior turned and moved to enter through the ornate double doors. As the doors opened, Jackie moved to follow the Prior. Stopping in the doorway, the Prior turned, raised his staff and sent a pulse through the halls and directly towards Jackie.

Reacting quickly, Jackie managed to shield herself from the pulse. As it moved passed her, Jackie noticed the look of self-satisfaction on the Prior's face before he turned back around and moved into the room beyond.

Hurrying to follow the Prior, Jackie slipped through the doors mere seconds before they closed. The sight that met her eyes stopped Jackie in her tracks. The Prior stood straight save for his head which was bowed in respect. Before him was the tall, slim figure of a woman, standing with her back to him.

"Orisi, there is a presence on this ship that does not belong." The Prior spoke.

The young woman turned. "Of what do you speak?"

Jackie gasped inaudibly as she realized that the woman before her was Adria.

"A presence came upon this ship some time ago. I have felt it as it drew nearer. I believe that it is, even now, outside your door…"

The Prior's words were cut off by him spontaneously bursting into flames. Or at least, to Adria, it looked spontaneous. Jackie, however, was expecting it, considering that she caused it. Jackie sighed with relief as the flames dissipated. The last thing she needed was for Adria to know who she was and that she was on her ship. She watched as Adria stared at the now empty spot that had been filled with the Prior's presence mere seconds before.

Adria turned back toward the window she had been gazing out when the Prior entered. Knowing she may never have a chance like this again, Jackie began to probe the outer recesses of Adria's mind. When there was no reaction from Adria, Jackie moved in a little further. For several minutes she worked slowly and methodically through Adria's brain.

In the blink of an eye, she was choking and staring into the cold hard eyes of the Orisi, who now stood a mere foot away from her.

"Who are you that you dare enter the mind of the Orisi?" Adria demanded.

Although Adria's hand was not physically at her throat, Jackie could feel it collapsing as if it were. She struggled against the steel grip and managed to gasp out a barely audible grunt.

Λ

Vala moved down the halls of the SGC toward her own quarters. It had been a long couple days with SG5. Ever since Jack had agreed to send Jackie to knock out a few Prior's, Vala's time had been split among different SG teams. If SG1 was going out she would join them, but since she had no scientific experience she felt her talents were better used helping the other SG teams and Jackie kick some Ori ass. Vala's most recent assignment had been with SG5, and boy had it been a long couple of days. Right now she wanted nothing more than a hot bath and a comfortable bed.

Suddenly Vala stopped. She was standing near Jackie's quarters and could have sworn she heard something coming from inside. Moving closer to the door, Vala listened. It sounded like there was a struggle inside the room. _But who…?_ Vala's thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a strangled grunt.

Without a second thought, Vala burst through the door and into Jackie's room. Looking around she saw no sign of a second person, then her eyes landed on Jackie. She lay on the bed, tossing and kicking as if in a great struggle. Her hands were up around her throat as if to pry someone's hands from around it.

Vala rushed to her side. She reached out gently laid a hand on Jackie's arm. "Jackie…?"

Λ

"_Jackie…?"_

_Vala?_ Jackie's mind reacted to the voice that came out of thin air. But that wasn't possible. She knew for a fact that Vala was back at the SGC. There was no way that she could be here.

"Answer me!" Adria demanded again, breaking into Jackie's thoughts. "You dare challenge me? I have the power of the Ori. Hallowed be the Ori."

"Oh…stuff…it." Jackie finally managed to get out.

"Those who do not accept the truth of Origin will be destroyed."

"Not…if…I…can…help…it."

Jackie watched as Adria's golden eyes burned as if with fire. She continued to struggle, but found that her strength was waning.

"Vala…"

"How do you know the name of my mother?"

Λ

With a thud, Vala landed against the wall nearest the bed. Jackie was thrashing so wildly now, that she had pushed Vala away.

"Vala…"

In amazement, Vala stared at the young girl who had just spoken her name.

"What's happening Jackie?"

Λ

"I asked you how you knew the name of my mother."

"I…know…much…"

"You will die, as will all those who deny Origin." Adria hissed.

"Not…if…I…"

"_Come on Jackie, it's just a dream."_ Vala's words interrupted Jackie.

_Of course._ Jackie thought. With one last burst of energy, Jackie once again entered Adria's mind, only this time into a place that she would not be expecting.

Λ

Vala was at a loss, she didn't know what to do. For a week now, Vala had watched as Jackie kicked the ass of an enemy that, up until she waltzed into their universe from her own, had seemed invincible. And now, here she was about to die of asphyxiation in a room in the SGC. All Vala could do was watch helplessly as she fought her unseen foe.

A sudden inhalation of air and cessation of kicking brought Vala out of her thoughts.

"Jackie? What happened?"

Jackie looked around wildly. Realizing that she was back in her own quarters in the SGC, she allowed herself to relax. Looking up at Vala, she managed a week smile.

"It was the craziest thing…" and Jackie proceeded to fill Vala in on the events that occurred on the Ori ship.

"So how did you get away?" Vala asked in bewilderment.

"When you said 'it's just a dream' you gave me an idea." Jackie explained. "I once again entered her mind, only this time into a section of the brain that she would expect. With just the right stimulation I wanted to make her think that all of this was a dream."

"Were you successful?"

"I'm here aren't I?"

"That doesn't answer my question." Vala chastised.

"It's the only answer I have."

Λ

Adria sat up disoriented. The last thing she remembered was…an intruder. Swiftly scanning the room, Adria found it completely empty. Looking down she realized that she was on her bed. Had it all simply been a dream?


	12. Chapter 11

_Woohoo! Finals are done and I now have three weeks of vacation to finish this story. So here's the next chapter. I hope y'all enjoy it. I'm not sure, but I think there are probably only a few more chapters. I hope you guys are enjoying this story. So without further ado..._

* * *

**Chapter 11 –**

What exactly are you suggesting Jackie?"

"General," Jackie began patiently. "According to the last uplink, the Prior will be returning in a few hours to accept this planet's final answer as to whether or not they will accept Origin."

"I'm really not sure about this Jackie." Jack spoke up. "What if they decide not to? The whole planet, all of you included, will be destroyed."

"Jack, that's the point." Jackie insisted. "The last few days we've been focusing on liberating those already in the grasp of the Ori. But if we are going to make a dent in their stronghold in this galaxy, we need to stop them from destroying those who will not accept them."

Jack looked around the briefing table. He didn't want to admit it, but she was right. Meeting Hank's gaze he gave a barely perceptible nod.

"SG1," Hank said, "You have a go. You'll leave in 30 minutes."

"Yes Sir!" Cameron exclaimed almost excitedly as he and Sam stood to attention. It had been almost a week since Jackie had saved SG1's collective asses and he was itching to go offworld again.

As SG1 hurried out of the briefing room to suit up for their mission, Vala slowed to wait for Jackie. She could see that the younger woman had a lot on her mind, and she had an idea what "it" was.

"Jackie." Vala interrupted her thoughts. She waited for Jackie to look up before continuing. "About last night…"

Jackie's eyes darted around to see if anyone was around to hear. Grabbing Vala's arm she dragged her to the nearest supply closet before speaking. "Vala…" There was a warning in her voice.

Vala's hand went up to stop Jackie's next words. "I just wanted to say that…" Vala paused briefly. "If you think you can defeat her, don't waste an opportunity to do so."

With that, Vala hurried away, leaving a very bewildered Jackie in the supply closet.

Λ

30 minutes later found SG1 and Jackie in the gateroom waiting for the stargate to finish dialing. All six stood at the base of the ramp dressed in clothing native to P7J-317. The only things that would pick them out of the crowed were the zats that five of them had well concealed beneath their cloaks.

"Chevron 7…locked." Walter announced over the intercom, as the wormhole formed.

"SG1," Landry announced from the control room. "You have a go."

As the wormhole disengaged after SG1, Jack couldn't help but wonder if he had made the right call.

Λ

Two hours later, SG1 was set up around the village square awaiting the arrival of the Prior. Jackie and Teal'c stood at the south side of the square, directly across from the balcony where the Prior would appear. To the west, stood Daniel and Sam and to the east, Mitchell and Vala.

"Any idea when this Prior is going to show up?" Cam asked over the radio.

"Soon Cam, soon." Jackie responded patiently.

"That's what you said an hour ago Jackie." Cam returned.

"Quit complaining Mitchell." Daniel responded. "You were the one itching to get offworld."

"Yeah, but…"

Cameron's rebuttal was cut off by the sudden entrance of the Prior. Instantly the square became deathly silent.

"The time has come for your decision." The Prior spoke. "Will you accept the truth of Origin?"

"Jacquelyn O'Neill should you not…" Teal'c began, but was cut off by a hand motion from Jackie. Using silent hand signals she continued to give Teal'c instructions. "Colonel Mitchell, Colonel Carter, Daniel Jackson, Vala Mal Doran, Jacquelyn O'Neill desires that you fall back to our position."

"Why?" Cameron asked.

"Hallowed be the Ori." The Prior announced.

"Hallowed be the Ori." Echoed the entire population standing in the village square.

"Damn." Cam hissed. "SG1, fall back to Teal'c and Jackie's position."

Moments later all of SG1 stood at the back of the square awaiting Jackie's destruction of the Prior. When she didn't move to do so, they all became worried.

"Jackie?" Daniel questioned quietly.

Without taking her eyes from the balcony before her she spoke, "Return to the stargate, I will meet you there."

"Like hell we're going to leave you here." Cam hissed. "I am not about to report to…"

"We'll wait for you in the alley that we used to enter the square." Sam interrupted Cameron.

"Very well." Jackie responded distractedly. "Stay well concealed."

SG1 silently slipped out of the square and into a small alley that opened outside of town. They all plastered themselves against the wall, waiting for the inevitable destruction of the Prior. As the interminable seconds ticked past, each worried silently at the continued silence from the square.

"Sam…" Cameron finally broke the silence.

Nodding her head in understanding, Sam inched her way to the entrance of the alley and peaked into the square.

"Great is this day, and blessed are you who are visited by the Orisi." The Prior announced just as Sam began her scan of the square.

"Did he just say Orisi?" Daniel hissed.

Sam simply nodded in response.

All five members of SG1 went back to silently worrying about what was going to go down in the village square.

Λ

Jackie had been waiting for it. She felt a slight twinge of guilt at the fact that she had lied by omission to Jack and General Landry, but she reminded herself that if she had told them that Adria would be visiting this planet, then they would not have allowed her to come. After the events of the night before, and her jaunt on the Ori ship, Jackie was determined to see just what she could do against Adria.

As Adria began addressing the villagers crowded beneath her, Jackie focused her eyes and mind on her. Slowly everything around her faded.

Λ

"Adria."

Adria turned from addressing the crowd only to see Vala standing on the balcony between herself and the Prior.

"Mother?"

"Adria, I do not have much time. I came to warn you."

"Warn me about what?" Adria asked in puzzlement.

"I have heard things."

"What kind of things Mother?"

"There is talk of someone who may have the power to defeat you."

"That isn't possible Mother." Adria said as she touched the stone that hung around her neck. "The Ori will protect me."

"I do not know much yet, but from what I understand the Ori may not be able to stop this new power."

"The Ori are all powerful, Mother. Nothing is beyond their knowledge or power."

"Be careful." Vala said as she began to shimmer and disappear.

Λ

"Be careful." Jackie muttered, allowing the image of Vala that she had portrayed to Adria to begin to fade. Simultaneously, she tapped into the limited amount of Adria's power that she had gained access to and sent a blast toward the balcony.

Once the blast had left her, Jackie moved, knowing that Adria would be able to track the source of the blast. From her vantage point several feet away, Jackie watched as the blast threw both the Prior and Adria against the wall of the building. Moments later, the Prior burst into flames. Adria, however, stood and disappeared from the balcony, leaving the villagers in chaos.

Not one to waste an opportunity, Jackie used the chaos the slip out of the square and toward the alley where SG1 waited for her. She barely caught Sam's eye before hurrying past. Instinctively she knew that Sam had seen the whole thing.

Λ

As Jackie sat in the debriefing she waited nervously for the inevitable explosion from Jack when they came to the part about Adria being on the planet. When that particular fact was mentioned, Jackie couldn't tear her eyes away from Jack's. In almost slow motion he turned his head from looking at Mitchell and looked her directly in the eyes. Without saying a word he turned back towards Mitchell and continued to listen to his side of the story. Since Mitchell hadn't actually seen what happened in the square his side of the story after that was brief.

When Mitchell had finished, Jack looked down at his hands. After what seemed to Jackie an eternity, Jack looked up at Hank, nodded and left the room.

Jackie wanted to follow him, to explain. Deciding to do just that, she moved to stand, but was stopped by Daniel's hand on her arm. She looked up at him with a question in her eyes. He briefly shook his head and then turned his attention back to the debriefing. Accepting his silent message to stay put, Jackie once again turned her attention to General Landry, but she couldn't help wondering what was going through Jack's mind.

"Colonel Carter, you could see into the village square from where you stood?" Landry asked.

"Yes Sir."

"Did you see anything?"

"Adria stepped out onto the balcony and began to address the villagers gathered below her. In the middle of her speech, she turned and faced the Prior and seemed to be carrying on a conversation. I couldn't hear what was being said, but she seemed agitated. I turned back to answer a question posed by Vala. When I turned back, Adria and the Prior were both gone. However, there were scorch marks where the Prior had been standing and the villagers were in chaos. Not long after, Jackie joined us and we returned through the Stargate."

As Sam's tale drew to a close, six pairs of eyes turned towards Jackie in question.

"When Adria stepped out onto the balcony I managed to tap into a limited amount of her mind, I didn't want to alert her to my presence. Using the limited power I had, I projected an image to her mind. When, as Sam saw, she turned towards the Prior, she was actually looking at an image that her mind saw as Vala."

"Me?" Vala exclaimed in surprise.

Jackie nodded. "I thought that you would be the least likely for her to attack outright." Vala nodded. "We talked for a couple minutes, just long enough for me to distract her so that I could obtain a little more access to her mind. I then attacked both her and the Prior. The Prior burned and Adria escaped." All six faces looking at Jackie had expressions of surprise and worry written across them.

"You knew she was going to be there."

Seven pairs of eyes turned to the cold voice that had spoken from the door into Hank's office. Jack stood there, a mix of emotions simmering in his eyes. Although everyone in the room was watching him, he stared directly at Jackie and nowhere else.

Jackie took a deep breath and let it out slowly before nodding her head.

"Damn it!" Jack exclaimed. Setting his jaw he continued, "Hank, recall all SG teams that are currently on Ori planets. Jackie's jaunts offworld have just been suspended indefinitely."

* * *

_Please R&R!_


	13. Chapter 12

_Hey I hope you guys enjoy this chapter. I'm hoping to have the last few chapters up soon. I want to get a head start on the third story in this trilogy before I have to go back to school. So without further ado..._

* * *

**Chapter 12 –**

"What?! Jack no!" Jackie exclaimed before Daniel could stop her.

Jack's eyes flew from Hank to Jackie. The coldness and simmering anger reflected in the brown orbs sent a shiver down the spines of every person in the briefing room.

"You deliberately withheld information pertinent to this mission." Jack replied with a calmness that belied the anger in his eyes. "By doing so you put not only yourself in danger, but SG1 as well."

"But…"

"Don't argue with me Jacqueline, my decision is final." Jack cut her off sharply.

Jackie bit her lip and blinked back the tears that threatened to overflow. Never before had she seen such a look in her father's eyes, especially not directed at her. For a couple minutes she fought back the urge to yield to her overwhelming emotions, but eventually found herself losing the battle. In a swift, unexpected movement, Jackie was out of her seat and running down the halls of the SGC.

All those still sitting at the briefing table watched her go in shocked silence. Jack, however, didn't even blink as she fled passed him. Turning swiftly he moved down the stairs into the control room, leaving the palpable silence of the briefing room.

"You're dismissed SG1." Hank finally said to break the silence. Standing he moved into his office.

The two military members of SG1 stood and saluted as Hank left the briefing room. Once he was gone, all five members slowly gathered their papers and moved down the halls of the SGC. They all walked in silence, every single one thinking of the events of the last few hours.

"So…team night?" Cam finally spoke up. The rest of his team seemed surprised at the audible words that broke into their thoughts.

"I can't." Daniel responded first. "I have a translation that just came in that may finally lead us to the sangraal." Without waiting for a response he hurried off to his lab.

"I also cannot go tonight Cameron Mitchell." Teal'c said stoically. "General Landry has requested that I aid in the training of the new recruits." And he was gone as well.

"Sorry Cam, I can't either. There are some planet surveys that need to be analyzed to see if there is a commonality between all the planets supposedly visited by Merlin." Sam said as she backed away and headed towards her lab.

"Guess it's just you and me handsome." Vala smiled provocatively.

Cam stared at her for a moment. "Maybe another time Vala." And he disappeared down the closest hallway.

Λ

Vala was actually kind of glad that all the others had had something to do instead of having a team night, because it saved her from having to come up with her own excuse. It wasn't that she didn't enjoy the team nights, on the contrary she loved them, but tonight she had something else that needed to be taken care of and she really didn't want to tell the rest of her team about it just yet. In fact, it really wasn't her place to say anything.

Stopping, she stared at the door in front of her for a minute, wondering if she was doing the right thing. Taking a deep breath she knocked on the door.

"Come in." Came the muffled reply from the other side of the door.

Opening the door, Vala quietly slipped in and shut the door behind her. It took a moment for her eyes to adjust to the darkness of the room. Once they had, she scanned the room looking for its solitary occupant. Finally her eyes landed on the object of her search curled up in a chair in the corner, hugging her knees to her chest.

"Hey Jackie." Vala greeted quietly as she moved across the room to where Jackie sat.

"Hey." Jackie mumbled, not looking up as Vala approached.

Vala pulled another chair up close to Jackie and sat down. She didn't really know what to say to the young woman who sat opposite her, but knew that she needed to say something. So she just sat there, trying to figure out what she could possibly say that would make a difference.

"I've only seen him angry a couple of times in my lifetime." Jackie said, barely breaking the silence with her quiet tone. "The most significant was about a week before I was taken by the Ori. The two of us had been at the park when he was called in to the SGC. He didn't have time to find someone to watch me so he took me along. When we got there, we entered the briefing room and instantly the 15 people in the room became silent. I looked at all of them and saw that they were staring at Dad and that they were scared, so I looked up into his eyes. As a child I could have sworn that sparks were actually flying out of his eyes. But before I could do or say anything, he was handing me off to Uncle Danny, who took me to his lab." Jackie paused. Taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly, she continued, "That look in his eyes pales in comparison to what I saw in his eyes today. It wasn't just anger, I expected the anger. It was a mix of anger, disappointment and betrayal…" Jackie's voice broke at the last word as a renewed flow of tears wound their way down her cheeks.

Reaching over, Vala took Jackie's hand and stroked it gently in comforting circles. "Without wanting to sound accusing or judgmental, why didn't you tell us that Adria was going to be on the planet?" Vala asked quietly, looking up from the hand she was holding into the startling blue eyes of her companion.

"Because they wouldn't have let me go."

"And that's a bad thing?" Vala goaded.

Jackie's eyes flashed as she finally met Vala's gaze. Then it dawned on her, Vala was simply trying to get answers out of her. "Before my out-of-body experience last night, I wouldn't have dreamt of taking on Adria. After all, as far as I can tell she is this universe's successful version of me. But after meeting her, and being able to get into a small portion of her brain and control a small portion of her power, I began to see things differently." Jackie paused again.

"How so?" Vala prodded.

"If Adria weren't around, how well do you think the Ori incursion into the galaxy would be going?"

"Not as well as it is, I guess."

"Exactly. After last night, and now the events of today, I think that I may actually be able to defeat her."

"Really?" Vala asked incredulously.

Jackie nodded, and was just about to explain, when a knock sounded on the door. "Come in." She called, looking at Vala quizzically. She turned to look at the door as it opened and Sam walked in.

"I'm not interrupting am I?" Sam asked.

"Not at all." Vala answered. "I was just leaving anyway. Thought I would go help Teal'c with the new recruits." She smiled at both women and hurried out of the room.

"I didn't mean to chase her out." Sam said as she watched the door close behind Vala. Turning to look at Jackie she indicated the seat that Vala had just vacated. "May I?"

"Of course." Jackie replied self-consciously.

Once Sam was seated, silence prevailed. Both women were lost in their own thoughts. Neither one of them really knew what to say to break the silence so they let it drag on.

"Why did you cover for me in the debriefing?" Jackie blurted out, no longer able to stay silent.

Sam bit her lip and considered the question for a minute. "Two reasons actually." She finally replied. "One, I saw that your attack on Adria did actually have an effect on her."

"Wait, you saw?" Jackie interrupted. Sam nodded. "But you didn't say anything in the briefing."

"Without knowing what exactly was going on, I didn't think that my saying something would have been very helpful." Sam replied. Jackie nodded and looked down. "Which leads me into my second reason," She continued. "I thought it would be much easier to play the 'Mother card' against your Dad if I knew exactly what was going on in that head of yours."

Jackie's head flew up and met Sam's smiling eyes with her own wide open, surprised ones. "You know?" Sam nodded. "But how? When?"

"I've known pretty much since he announced in the debriefing with Sheppard's team that you were _his_ daughter."

"But…"

"I'll explain if you promise to be completely honest with me about this thing with Adria." Sam interrupted.

Jackie stared at Sam for a moment. This was going to be a little weird. Usually it was Jackie and her Dad working together to convince her Mom, but here it was going to be the other way around. Taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly, she nodded her agreement.

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_Please Review!_


	14. Chapter 13

_Wow...two posts in as many days. I'm spoiling you guys. I'm sure that a lot of you have been wondering when this would happen, so I thought that it was time. The next chapter is going to be a bit longer, so it may take me a little longer to post it. Hope you enjoy this one._

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**  
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**Chapter 13 –**

Jack threw another dart at the board on his wall. The dart board with Ba'al's face on it had been a gag gift from Teal'c last Christmas. Jack had been surprised. He hadn't realized that Teal'c got the idea of a gag gift, until he presented him with this personalized dart board set. It had hung in his office at the Pentagon, much to the chagrin of some of the people he worked with, but he didn't care, there was something cathartic about throwing darts at the snake who had done the same to him all those years ago. Right now, however, Jack wasn't seeing Ba'al's face as his target; he was simply enjoying throwing and stabbing things.

"Nice Ba'al's eye."

Jack whirled around in his chair. Standing in his doorway with a smirk on her face was his favorite blonde Colonel.

"You've been spending too much time with me." Jack said.

"Probably. You know me, won't usually stoop to that level, but thought it might bring a smile to your face." Sam responded as she took a couple steps into the office.

Jack glanced at the dart board and the dart he had just thrown, which now stuck out of Ba'al's left eye. "I have taught you well grasshopper." He matched Sam's smirk as he turned back to her. "So what brings you by?"

"We need to talk Jack." Jack raised an eyebrow at her use of his first name. "We need to talk about Jackie."

Jack's smirk was wiped from his face and replaced by a scowl. "Now's really not a good time."

Sam sighed and walked the rest of the way into his office. Taking a seat opposite his desk she looked him straight in the eye, using her blue orbs to tell him that they were going to talk about it anyway.

"Why didn't you tell me about her before?"

Jack sighed and leaned back in his chair. "Everything was so crazy after Jackie defeated Ba'al. I could never seem to find the right time or way to tell you and I really didn't want to push the issue."

Sam nodded. "You can't keep her confined to the base forever Jack." She succinctly changed the subject.

"What would you have me do Sam?" Jack stood up and started pacing. "Let her continue in this hair-brained idea that she can fight Adria? Damn it Sam. How could I face myself much less our alternate selves knowing that I practically sent her to her death?" Jack stopped his pacing and stared directly at Sam. "Could you?" Sam simply stared at him, not giving him an answer either way. Jack sank into his chair with a sigh. "I can't lose another one Sam."

"And if she can actually defeat Adria?" Sam asked quietly.

"What!?" Jack's head snapped up. "You think she can?"

"I'm not sure." Sam finally admitted. "But I do know that if it is possible for Adria to be defeated, that would give us a huge advantage and maybe even a short reprieve." Jack opened his mouth to cut her off. "I'm not saying that Adria's possible death is worth the risk of Jackie's. She admitted that it would take some time to gain full access to Adria's mind and powers, but she thinks that it may be possible."

"What are you talking about?" Jack asked in confusion.

Sam explained Jackie's out-of-body experience of the night before and what had happened on the planet earlier that day. "Jackie thinks that with a little bit of practice she can gain more access."

"And how does she plan on doing that? If this out-of-body experience is any example, she's not going to be able to get into Adria's mind without her knowing."

"That's where the events of today come in." Jack gave Sam a quizzical glance. "She was able to portray Vala to Adria's mind. That gave her an opening to delve a little further into Adria's head."

"And if Adria isn't fooled?"

"If at any point Adria begins to suspect, Jackie has a way out, it worked before. If she has to use it, she'll abort all other attempts."

"She can remain on base to do this?"

"We believe so."

"She'll keep us apprised of the situation?"

"Yes."

"She will be completely honest with us from here on out?"

"We have her word."

"Fine. But the same restrictions from before apply now: I reserve the right to pull the plug at any time."

"And her trips offworld?"

"She still wants to go offworld?" Jack exclaimed in surprise.

"She wants to continue working as she has this past week, only she'll be adding this new project to her list." Sam informed him.

"Geez. Everyday she reminds me more and more of her mother." Jack complained, but with a smile.

"So?"

"I'll talk to Hank."

Λ

The next couple weeks were busy for Jackie. Her days were spent in the labs with Sam and the team assigned to finding a way to get her home and offworld with the teams who were keeping surveillance on Ori converted planets. At night she would catch a few hours of sleep before "connecting" to Adria's mind. She would then spend an hour or two projecting an image of Vala to Adria's mind while she attempted to gain access.

The third time that Jackie had "connected" she stumbled across a bit of information that sped up her progress. Whenever Adria spoke about the Ori to "Vala", trying to convert her, her mind was far more open to Jackie. From that point on, Jackie just had to make Adria believe that "Vala" was considering conversion, and she would spout off for a couple hours while Jackie had almost non-restricted access to her mind.

Λ

It had been three weeks since SGA1 found Jackie in the Pegasus Galaxy. In that time she had done some tremendous things. She had managed to slow the process of the Ori incursion into this galaxy and – what she was currently running toward the briefing room to tell Jack, Hank, and SG1 – she had gained almost complete access to Adria's mind without her knowing it.

As she ran up the stairs from the control room, Jackie heard voices, but was running too fast for the voices to register in her mind until she was standing at the top of the stairs. When she caught sight of who was sitting at the table she stopped short.

"Dr. McKay!" Jackie exclaimed in surprise.

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_I know I'm evil...I'll get the next chapter up as soon as I can. Please review...it helps me write faster._


	15. Chapter 14

_Last time:_

_As she ran up the stairs from the control room, Jackie heard voices, but was running too fast for the voices to register in her mind until she was standing at the top of the stairs. When she caught sight of who was sitting at the table she stopped short._

"_Dr. McKay!" Jackie exclaimed in surprise._

**Chapter 14 –**

"What brings you to the SGC?" Jackie asked, having calmed down enough to move into the briefing room and take a seat at the table.

"As I was just explaining to SG1 and General Landry…"

"He's found out what threw you into our universe." Daniel interrupted McKay.

"You have?" Jackie replied with a mix of surprise and relief.

"Continue Dr. McKay." Landry interrupted the conversation and brought everyone back to the subject at hand.

"Thank you General." McKay replied. "As I was saying, there was a section of the ship's computer that I had been ignoring because, from what I could see, it had recorded inconsequential data. However, after going over the rest of the computer 10 times I was stumped. On a whim, and out of boredom, I took a look at the section of the computer I had thus far been ignoring. With closer inspection I realized that the data recorded was that of any kind of gate activity in the area of the ship. I'm not 100 percent sure, but I think it was a failsafe to make sure that the hyperdrive window and wormhole didn't intersect."

"As interesting as this is McKay, would you mind getting to the point." Sam cut into his explanation.

"According to the computer readings, mere seconds before Jackie arrived in our universe, two things happened: 1) she was flying past a black hole and 2) a wormhole was established that went very near to the black hole. At this point there was a bit of static in the computer and then suddenly Jackie was spiraling towards the planet of the Anadim." Rodney paused for dramatic affect. "I think that being so close to the black hole caused a series of events that landed Jackie in our universe. First, her computer was unable to compensate for the path of the wormhole because of the interference. Thus her hyperdrive window collided with the wormhole causing a rift between our two universes."

"Is that possible?" Cam asked incredulously.

"Unfortunately Cam it's quite possible." Jackie broke in. Seven pairs of eyes turned and looked at her in confusion. "I have enough of the Ori in my head to have an advanced knowledge of technology and science. The reason that my ship's computer had that function to compensate for stargate formed wormholes was because the possibility of colliding and the resulting consequences is very real. Unfortunately it's also impossible to duplicate seeing as how any number of results could happen from the same circumstances, not to mention the millions of alternate universes that could be tapped into." Jackie sighed. "But it does at least give us a little more information and maybe a place to start."

Λ

An hour later, after seeing Dr. McKay back to Atlanta, SG1 showed up in the door to Sam's lab, where Jackie sat working busily. They all shared looks before walking into the lab and sitting down around the table that Jackie was working at. Jackie, however, didn't move one muscle to acknowledge that they were there.

"Wow, Sam I think she may have even you beat in the concentration department." Cam mentioned off-handedly.

"Don't forget Daniel, Cam, he can concentrate with the best of them." Vala added playfully.

"It has nothing to do with concentration Cam. I'm ignoring you so that I can get some work done." Jackie retorted. The rest of SG1 (minus Teal'c of course, who did at least don a slight smile) burst into fits of laughter at Cam's expense.

"Jacqueline O'Neill did you not have something to tell us when you came into the briefing room earlier?" Teal'c's almost quiet question sobered the rest of his team. That had been the reason they had gone in search of Jackie after McKay left, but had gotten sidetracked by the chance to laugh at Cam. Now they were back to business.

"Yeah." Daniel added. "You came running into the briefing room in such a hurry. You looked almost excited."

"Ah, it was nothing." Jackie responded distractedly.

Realizing that something was up, Vala silently shooed the three men of SG1 out of the lab. Daniel and Cam were resistant, but Teal'c seemed to understand, so he helped her get the other two out. Once they were gone, Vala shut the lab door and moved back over to the table where Jackie and Sam still sat.

"Okay Jackie, what's going on?" Sam prodded gently.

"I…it's nothing really." Jackie tried to dodge the question again.

Just as Vala opened her mouth to object to the dodging, a knock came at the door. All three women looked toward the door.

"Carter, Vala, Jackie, I know you guys are in there. Open up."

Without looking at the other two women, Jackie stood and opened the door for Jack. Turning around, she quickly returned to her seat and the computer she'd been working at.

"Daniel, T, and Mitchell said you kicked them out." Jack said with a slight smirk on his face. "Care to share?"

"That's why we kicked them out." Vala returned. "We're trying to get Jackie to tell us why she was in such a hurry to get to the briefing this morning."

"Jackie?" Jack said, turning toward the younger woman. "What's up?"

Jackie stared at the floor for a moment before raising her eyes to meet Jack's. For a few, long, moments, the two stared at each other, before Jack sighed.

"When?"

"Two days from now, between 1300 and 1500." Jackie replied quietly, not taking her eyes from his.

"Where?"

"I have the coordinates." She answered as she handed a folded piece of paper to Jack.

Jack simply nodded in response. "Carter, I want SG1 in the briefing room in 10." He said before turning around and leaving the three women in the lab.

"Did I miss something?" Vala asked in confusion.

Sam looked back and forth between Jackie and the open door through which Jack had just left. "I think we missed more than just something."

Λ

The five members of SG1, Jackie, and Hank all sat at the briefing table ten minutes later, waiting on Jack. It wasn't that he was really all that late, except for the fact that everyone had already been sitting there for five minutes. All the members of SG1 had been intrigued by the discourse between Jack and Jackie when Vala had told them about it, so needless to say, they were all very anxious to find out what the two had been talking about.

"Sorry I'm late." Jack said as he walked into the room. Sam and Mitchell stood at attention. "At ease, Colonels." He said after returning their salutes. Taking his seat he looked at each one sitting at the table in turn. "I'm sure you're all wondering why I called you together." There were nods around the table. "So…Jackie, if you will?"

Jackie took a deep breath and looked around the table. "As all of you know, for a couple hours each morning for the last couple of weeks I have been 'connecting' my mind to Adria's. This morning I made a huge breakthrough." She paused.

"Huge how?" Daniel asked impatiently.

"I think I've gained the knowledge needed to overpower Adria."

"You think?" Cam demanded.

"There's only one way to know for sure." Jackie responded.

All eyes turned towards Jack expectantly. After his outburst the last time, they didn't expect him to take this news too easily, for they all knew what Jackie meant.

"I already knew." Jack announced. "In fact, the very reason I was late was because I was finalizing plans for this expedition."

"You're okay with this?" Daniel asked incredulously.

"Not really okay, more resigned to the fact." Jack clarified. "There will however be a few precautions. For instance, the Odyssey will be in orbit around the planet's closest moon, and I will be tagging along."

"Is that wise O'Neill?" Teal'c finally commented.

"Wise or not, I will be going. I've already cleared it with the President."

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**_Merry Christmas Everyone!_**


	16. Chapter 15

_Sorry for the delay in posting this chapter. The holidays were busy while I spent time with my brother who was visiting from Africa. Of course the major writer's block didn't help any. It's really sad that my muse returned as soon as I returned to a class with my least favorite teacher of all time. Arrgh! _

_Just a bit of warning: this chapter may require a bit of SOB (suspension of belief). Several of you have wanted some explanations, not to mention that in order to have a happy ending there has to be a way to get Jackie home. Well, it all kind of came to me, but the ideas are a bit out there…guess it's a good thing that this is sci-fi huh? Hope you enjoy. Reviews and constructive criticism are always welcome._

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**Chapter 15 –**

Within a few hours, the Odyssey had left Earth and was heading toward P9R-257. Seeing as there were 48 hours until SG1 would be gating there and it would take the Odyssey 36 hours to get there, Jack though it prudent for them to leave ASAP.

Once the Odyssey had left, Jack found himself wandering the halls of the SGC aimlessly. Finding himself near the science labs, he turned his steps purposefully toward the lab dedicated to finding a way to send Jackie home. As he neared the lab, he was surprised at the amount of activity happening within its walls.

Seeing as it was early afternoon, it wasn't out of the ordinary for so many scientists to be in the labs. What was strange was the level of activity in this particular lab. In the weeks since the task force had been set up to find a way to send Jackie back to her reality, the scientists had been working in no more than groups of three or four. Now, to Jack's amazement, all 15 scientists were working together. Some were in smaller groups, but maintained constant dialogue with the rest of the scientists.

Jack watched in silence for several minutes, feeling way out of his element. He was about ready to turn around, when he caught sight of Sam working closely on some kind of diagram that was spread out across the table placed strategically in the middle of the room. He watched in fascination as she studied the diagram and occasionally called out directions or explanations. Jack watched for a few minutes, before he noticed a scientist moving from a remote corner of the lab toward the table where Sam stood. He watched in fascination as the scientist lay what appeared to be plans for some kind of machine in front of Sam.

Sam took a moment to align the new plans with the plans she had already been looking at. Without glancing up she started spouting off more orders. Calling out the names of six scientists, Sam handed off the new plans. As her eyes moved back toward the table, they passed over the open door. Realizing a few seconds later who was standing there, her eyes flew back and locked with Jack's.

"Dr. Apple!" Sam called out. Quickly a young woman moved to Sam's side. After a brief discussion, the young scientist took Sam's place at the table as Sam moved toward Jack.

"Didn't mean to pull you away from…whatever it is your doing." Jack said as he waved his hand toward the room behind her.

"Actually, I'm glad you're here." Sam countered. Jack raised his eyebrow in disbelief. "Let's take a walk." Sam suggested as she guided him away from the busy lab.

Suddenly Jack was wary of what Sam had to say. On a slow day it was hard to pull her away from her lab, but for her to willingly walk away from whatever was going on back in that lab…Jack had a feeling he wasn't going to be thrilled with what she had to say.

The two walked in silence for several long minutes. Jack was doing his best not to give in and push Sam to tell him whatever she had to tell him. Sam was trying to formulate her words so as to not unduly alarm Jack. Finally, Jack could take the silence no more.

"Spit it out Carter."

"Sir?"

Stopping, Jack stared at Sam. "Carter, it's difficult enough to pull you away from your lab when you're doing mundane tests or reports. You just voluntarily walked out of the busiest lab I've ever seen at the SGC. So whatever it is that you've been trying to find the right words for these last five minutes, spit it out."

Sam sighed and resumed walking. "After the briefing, we all headed down toward the commissary for lunch. Along the way, Jackie started bemoaning the fact that here she had access to unlimited knowledge of the universe through the Ori, but she couldn't connect to them to find out how to get home without alerting them to her presence. We continued on in silence for a few steps before Daniel spoke up…

Λ

_Flashback –_

"_Um, Jackie?" Daniel broke the silence. Jackie turned to look at him. "Don't you have the knowledge of the Ori?"_

_Jackie shrugged. "I have a limited amount, just like Adria does. Why?"_

"_I wonder…" Daniel paused and looked at Teal'c. "When I descended the first time I thought that I had lost all the knowledge of the Ancients…"_

"_But you found out later that you still had access to a lot of it, it was just suppressed." Sam broke in after Daniel paused again._

"_Exactly." Daniel said glancing over at Sam before turning back to Teal'c. "Teal'c I think maybe we should teach Jackie how to Kelnoreem."_

Λ

"Kelnoreem?" Jack puzzled.

"Daniel thought that maybe Jackie could tap into whatever knowledge was in her head, maybe more." Sam answered.

"Did she?"

Sam bit her lip, really unsure of how to go from here. "Perhaps we should move to a more private location."

Jack looked at Sam for a moment before turning toward his office.

Λ

_Flashback –_

_A few short moments later Daniel, Teal'c and Jackie were seated on the floor of Daniel's lab, surrounded by candles. Not wanting to be out of the loop, but not wanting to be a distraction, the remaining three members of SG1 sat on the other side of Daniel's desk and watched quietly, as the three on the floor began to meditate._

Λ

"Jackie seemed to pick up on the whole kelnoreem thing very quickly. Before long she was deep in a meditative state." Sam said before continuing her story.

Λ

_Flashback –_

_Sam watched intently and a bit nervously as the moments passed and Jackie seemed only to move deeper into her meditative state._

_Suddenly Jackie's eyes flew open. "I need paper!" She exclaimed desperately._

_Moving quickly Sam grabbed a stack of paper from Daniel's printer and a pencil from his mug. Handing them over to Jackie, she stepped back so she was out of the way, but close enough so that she could see what Jackie was writing._

_It didn't take long before Sam realized that Jackie wasn't writing, she was drawing. Curious, she leaned in closer to catch a glimpse of what she was drawing. Sam gasped. Jackie was drawing plans for some kind of machine._

_Within a few minutes, Jackie handed the paper up to Sam before grabbing another and continuing to draw._

Λ

"What was it?" Jack asked both nervous and excited.

"That's what I asked."

Λ

_Flashback –_

"_What is it Jackie?" Sam asked._

_Without looking up or stopping her pencil, Jackie responded, "The first component in a device that will turn the stargate into a quantum mirror."_

Λ

"Excuse me!?!?" Jack exclaimed at this revelation.

"Jackie went on to explain that the unlikely combination of a black hole, hyperspace window, and an artificial wormhole had a similar effect. She had a whole bunch of techno-babble that I didn't even understand to explain the phenomenon. But apparently, this device that she's been drawing the schematics for is supposed to, when connected to the Stargate, make it possible to travel to alternate universes."

Jack raised an eyebrow. "Why do I suddenly feel like I'm in some sci-fi TV show?"

"Sir…"

"Let's say for a moment that all this doesn't sound completely insane." Jack interrupted. "How are we supposed to find the right universe to send Jackie back to?"

Sam bit her lip. "I don't know." She sighed. "I was so excited about the many possibilities presented by this that I forgot to think about everything else."

"Might I suggest that you start thinking about some of these other aspects before you get too caught up in this whole idea?" Sam nodded. "Good, keep me apprised of the situation. Dismissed."

"Yes, Sir."

As soon as Sam was out the door, Jack lowered his head into his hands. Could this situation get any more complicated?


	17. Chapter 16

_A/N: Sorry about the delay in posting. It's been a hectic few weeks as the drama group I'm in got ready to do open this last week with our musical. Well, that and school and writer's block really made it difficult to finish this chapter. However, I have finished, and it's nice and long (9.5 pages according to Word.) I hope you enjoy and am hoping to have the last few chapters up in better time now that my writer's block seems to be gone. Enjoy!_

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_Last time:_

"_Let's say for a moment that all this doesn't sound completely insane." Jack interrupted. "How are we supposed to find the right universe to send Jackie back to?"_

_Sam bit her lip. "I don't know." She sighed. "I was so excited about the many possibilities presented by this that I forgot to think about everything else."_

"_Might I suggest that you start thinking about some of these other aspects before you get too caught up in this whole idea?" Sam nodded. "Good, keep me apprised of the situation. Dismissed."_

"_Yes, Sir."_

_As soon as Sam was out the door, Jack lowered his head into his hands. Could this situation get any more complicated?_

Λ

**Chapter 16 –**

Two days later:

The five members of SG1 and Jack stood in the gateroom watching and waiting as P9R-257 was dialed. They stood around dressed as villagers with no weaponry save for a single zat each, tied to the thigh as to be inconspicuous.

"You think Jackie will get here before chevron 7 or after?" Cam asked in amusement.

Before anyone could respond, the blast doors opened and Jackie came rushing into the gateroom, still putting finishing touches on her robe. Looking up she saw six pairs of eyes directed at her in amusement and inquiry.

"Sorry I'm late. I got caught up with a couple of the scientists who had questions."

Any further questioning from Sam was cut off by the opening of the wormhole.

"Well Campers, lets move out." Jack commanded, cutting off any techno babble before it could begin.

"Uh, Jack?" Jackie said as she watched him head up the ramp.

"Yeah?" Jack responded, stopping and turning half-way up the ramp.

Without saying a word, Jackie lifted the hood of her robe over her head and began walking up the ramp. Stopping next to Jack for a brief moment, she put her hand on his arm. No words were verbalized, but Jack nodded in acquiescence. With this affirmation Jackie turned and moved up the ramp first, with SG1 and Jack close behind.

In the few seconds between Jackie coming through he other side of the wormhole, and the others following, she managed to take in the scene surrounding the gate and come up with a way to get safely through the guards who stood there.

Sg1, past and present, were surprised to see 10 guards surrounding the platform that the stargate sat on and pointing weapons at them. Instinctively Jack and Teal'c moved to flank Jackie, while the others moved closer behind them. In response, the guards raised their weapons higher and took a step closer.

"State your business." One of the guards snapped.

Before Jack could even open his mouth, Jackie was speaking, "Please, Friends, let us not have bloodshed on this holy day."

"Of what do you speak?" The same guard demanded.

"I speak of the visit by a mighty, holy one to your planet." Jackie responded calmly.

"How do you know this?"

"I am a priestess of my people. They trust me to seek out the truth and in turn teach it to them. Three nights ago I received in vision, the news that a holy messenger was coming here to deliver the truth. I knew that I must come hear her."

"And these with you?"

For the first time since they came through the stargate, Jackie looked at the other members of her team. Turning back toward the guard she smiled.

"My apologies, good Sir. These six are my attendants. The two women are fellow priestesses and the men are my guards. You must forgive their diligence; we have not always been greeted on good terms in our travels."

Lowering his weapon, the guard bowed his head slightly in a move worthy of Teal'c. "We should be the ones to apologize, Priestess. There are those who would wish to destroy the Orici. We were sent to make sure they do not come through the gate. But I see that you are not one who wishes her harm. You may pass."

"Thank you." Jackie responded, also bowing her head. Turning, Jackie led the way down the steps, through the guards, and down the path toward the village.

Once they were out of sight of the stargate, Jack moved up to walk with Jackie. When she looked over at him, she found him watching her with a raised eyebrow a la Teal'c. She smiled in answer to his silent question.

"It should be safe to radio the Odyssey now." Jackie commented as she turned her face back to watching where she was going.

"General O'Neill to Odyssey, do you copy?" Jack said as he keyed his earpiece.

"_Glad to hear from you General. We began to worry when you didn't check in on schedule."_

"There was a welcoming party at the gate. It took a few minutes to get away from them." Jack responded.

"_Understood. We are now receiving transmitter signals."_

"Good. We'll be in touch. O'Neill out."

Λ

Two hours later found the seven member team interspersed throughout the village center. Although halfway across the square from Jackie, Jack made sure to watch her every move. He knew that Teal'c was standing by in case he was needed, but he still didn't like being so far away from her and completely helpless if anything were to happen. It was in such a state of frustration that Jack first noticed the Prior walk into the village center. Quickly scanning the area, he was satisfied that the rest of his team had also noticed. However he wasn't happy to see that the Prior was heading straight for Jackie, helped along by the head guard from the stargate.

Jackie had known about the Prior for a good couple of minutes before he actually arrived in the village center. Knowing this she kept an eye out for him, while also gauging the reactions of her team. She watched in amusement as Jack made sure that everyone had seen the Prior enter the square. _Always worried about his team._ She thought as she noticed that the Prior was being led by one of the guards from the stargate, and he was leading him straight to her.

The second she realized that the Prior was being led directly to her, she scanned her team and noticed that they were all on alert. Teal'c chose that moment to move in her direction. Using discreet hand motions, Jackie waved him off. She could tell he wasn't happy about it, but knew that he would respect her wishes. All too soon, the Prior stood before her.

"I understand that you are a religious leader for your people." The Prior said.

"I am." Jackie responded with a slight bow of the head to show a respect she didn't feel.

"It is good that you have come here seeking the truth. For all who seek out the truth will find the Ori, and they will be blessed. Hallowed are the Ori." The Prior announced.

"Hallowed are the Ori." The villagers repeated.

"The Orici has decided to grant an audience with a few of the village's leaders after she addresses the entire village. She wishes to meet with you as well."

"I am honored." Jackie said with another bow.

As the Prior turned away, Jackie breathed a silent sigh of relief. She really wanted nothing more than to destroy that Prior, but _he_ was not her mission this time. This was a fact finding mission, everything else had to take back seat.

Λ

Thirty minutes after the Prior approached Jackie, Adria had arrived. The Prior gave a great sermon on Origin and blessed the Ori, while Adria stood there and surveyed the crowd below her. Adria herself only addressed the people for a couple minutes. When she turned to go, she paused briefly to say something to the Prior before entering the building behind her to attend the private meeting with the village leaders.

As Adria left the balcony, the guard from the stargate approached Jackie and led her to where Adria and the village leaders would be meeting. They were halfway across the square when Jackie's earpiece came to life.

"_Head's up everyone."_ Jack announced over the radio.

Careful not to alert the guard who was leading her, Jackie scanned the square. It wasn't long before her eyes alighted on the problem: two Ori soldiers were approaching Vala. Knowing that she couldn't speak through the radio without her guard hearing her, Jackie instead projected her thoughts to the rest of the team.

"_Don't do anything."_ Jackie directed the others. _"Vala, go peacefully. My guess is that you've been recognized as mother of the Orici. As long as you don't fight you should be fine. For now it doesn't appear that they've recognized the rest of you, so stay hidden until you hear from me."_

"_Be careful Jackie."_ Sam responded before they went to radio silence.

Jackie was led into a sparsely decorated room that had, at one end, a raised chair flanked by open flamed lights. Jackie recognized the setup from Adria's quarters on board the Ori ship. Her thoughts were interrupted by the guard pointing her attention to the crowd gathered before the raised chair. Once she began to move that direction, the guard turned and left.

Adria suddenly entered the room and the lamps sent up a burst of flame, when Jackie was about halfway across the room.

"Take them away!" Adria ordered the handful of soldiers who had entered with her. "There is an urgent matter I must attend to."

Realizing that Adria must be speaking of Vala, Jackie hid behind a nearby pillar. Silently she watched as the village leaders were herded out and Vala was dragged in.

"Mother, why did you not tell me that you were going to be on this planet?" Adria demanded.

"I have no idea what you're talking about Adria." Vala countered.

Adria walked down the steps toward Vala. "Three nights ago, when we last talked, you said nothing about coming here."

"_Stall her Vala, I need some time."_ Jackie projected into Vala's mind.

"Yes, well, coming here was a recent development." Vala spoke up quickly in response to Adria's last statement.

Λ

The rest of SG1 was surprised to see the village leaders being herded out of the building they had just entered. Silently, Jack scanned the surprised crowd for Jackie. When he didn't spot her initially, he became worried.

"Anyone seen Jackie?" Jack hissed over the radio.

"_I have not O'Neill."_ Teal'c responded. _"Perhaps she remains inside."_

"_Teal'c has a point Jack."_ Daniel commented. _"The whole point of coming here was to give Jackie access to Adria. She would have done whatever was necessary to remain in that building."_

Jack was about to respond when a commotion in the center of the village square caught his attention. Moving into prime position was a second Prior and six Ori soldiers.

"Behold! The truth shall be a light in the darkness and evil shall be purged." The Prior announced.

"_That's not Origin."_ Cam said over the radio.

"_Are you certain Colonel Mitchell?"_ Teal'c asked.

"_If that's Origin than my Grandmother missed the memo about reciting 'Hallowed are the Ori.'"_

"Do not believe the lies of the false prophets!" The Prior continued.

"_General you don't suppose…?"_ Sam asked.

"_Does that girl do anything small?"_ Jack grumbled, the affection in his voice evident to his team.

As if in response to the question that crossed SG1's minds simultaneously, the first Prior emerged from the building where Vala and Jackie had been taken.

"Blasphemy!" the first Prior yelled. "Hallowed are the…" Before he could finish his declaration, he was suspended above the ground, gasping for breath.

Λ

Jackie hadn't wasted any time getting into Adria's mind. She knew exactly where she needed to go and how to get there undetected. In fact, when she told Vala to stall for time, she was already holding the Prior above the ground with her mind.

Throughout the whole thing, Jackie was not only aware of the image she was projecting into the village square, she was also aware of the conversation going on over the radio and the one between Vala and Adria.

"And you couldn't tell me of this development?" Adria demanded.

"Not without raising suspicion. As it was it was difficult to convince the others to let me leave Earth for a couple days." Vala responded coolly.

"You came here to see me?" Adria questioned.

"I came looking for you, that's why I asked for a few days away from Earth." Vala answered.

Λ

SG1 watched in fascination as Ori soldiers opened up fire on the small group in the center of the square. However, their energy blasts never reached the group and the soldiers didn't have a chance to get off a second shot. The "second Prior" turned his attention toward the soldiers while still keeping the other Prior suspended. In a single action, all the soldiers' weapons flew into the air, turned, and aimed at them.

In a few brief moments, and with minimal violence, the Prior and Ori soldiers were subdued, or so they thought.

"_Jack! Move to the edge of the square!"_ Jackie's voice suddenly came across the radio.

"What? Why?" Jack asked in surprise.

"_No time, just go!"_

Jack didn't have far to go to slip into a nearby alley that lead out of the village square. Turning around, he watched as an energy field started at the center of the square and moved outwards, pushing the people to the very edges of the square. With several dozen people headed his way, Jack looked for a way to move out of their way. Noticing a ladder leading up to a balcony, Jack took it just in time to avoid the masses of people.

Swinging up over the ledge of the balcony, Jack turned back to the village square in time to see weapons fire from the orbiting Ori ship hit the spot where the second Prior and his soldiers stood. As the explosion quieted, the screams of the villagers could be heard.

Quickly keying his radio, Jack called for the rest of his team, "Carter, Mitchell, Daniel, Teal'c report. What is your location?" Silence was the only response.

"_They're fine for now Jack."_ Jackie told him. _"They weren't in the square during the attack."_

"Then where are they?" Jack demanded.

Jackie sighed. Then, instead of explaining, she sent him a mental picture.

Λ

_Flashback:_

_Suddenly Adria whirled around to face Vala. "You're lying to me!" she practically yelled._

"_I don't…"_

"_They are here!" Adria interrupted. "SG1 is here with you!"_

"_Now Adria…" Vala attempted to calm her daughter._

"_How did you get through the gate? The guards were supposed to stop you at the gate."_

"_These are a simple people Adria." Vala said, changing her tactic. "They were easily deceived."_

"_So all this time that you have been communicating with me was just a means to an end?" Adria demanded._

"_No." Vala replied. "That wasn't me."_

_As Vala spoke, the doors behind her opened and a group of Ori soldiers entered, dragging SG1 with them._

"_I don't know what you had planned Mother, but it has filed." Adria glared._

Damn._ Jackie thought to herself as she realized that yet one more thing had been added to the delicate balance that she was struggling to maintain. "Colonel Emerson, we have a problem." Jackie projected into the mind of the captain of the Odyssey. "SG1 has been discovered, I need you to beam them out now."_

_Luckily for Jackie, Colonel Emerson had been completely briefed on the situation, so he was able to quickly recover from hearing Jackie in his head. _We are unable to beam them out Jackie. There is some king of force shield in the way. _Emerson thought back to Jackie._

"_Damn. Okay, be ready on my mark to beam all seven of us up." With that, Jackie turned her thoughts back to Jack. "Jack! Move to the edge of the square!"_

Λ

"What now?" Jack asked as the pictures in his head faded.

"_Right now I need you to just stay out of sight and out of trouble. I'll take care of things."_

"Jackie…" Jack's voice held a mixture of warning and fatherly concern.

"_Don't worry Jack; I'll see you on board the Odyssey."_

With that, the link was broken, and no matter how much Jack tried, he could not reach Jackie. Turning his attention back to what was happening before him, Jack couldn't say that he was all that surprised to see the second Prior and his Ori soldiers standing in the center of the village square as the dust cleared. But than again, he knew something that the others in the square didn't know: they were just a projection.

Λ

It was difficult for Jackie to cut Jack off like she had, but she knew that for the time being he was safe and right now she needed to focus on making sure that the rest of SG1 was also. She had been a little surprised at the fact that they hadn't felt the explosion inside the building, but than she figured that the shield around the building must have blocked out any residual affects of the attack by the Ori ship.

Jackie had to give herself a small pat on the back for that explosion. By using her link to Adria, she had managed to tap into the Prior's mind as she still held him suspended, and through his mind had the Ori ship attack the very spot where her projection was standing. Her plan had been to distract Adria long enough to get the shield down and get them all out of there, but would settle for the simple side effect of proving to the towns people that the Ori weren't all-powerful after all. Clearing her head of any egotistical thoughts, Jackie turned back to the task at hand, saving all their asses.

"So tell me Mother, what exactly were you hoping to accomplish by coming here? And how exactly did you know that I would be here?" Adria questioned harshly as she surveyed the gathered SG1 from her raised dais.

"Well you see…" Vala began.

"I told them." Jackie interrupted as she stepped out of her hiding place. Instantly the Ori soldiers in the room lifted their weapons and turned them on her. In a swift motion that no one expected, Jackie flung the soldiers against the wall. Adria stood up in indignation and prepared to retaliate. "Don't bother Adria. I'm not here to harm you, or fight you. I'm simply here for answers."

"Who are you?" Adria demanded.

"I am the one who managed to sneak SG1 passed your guards at the stargate. I'm the one who just threw your soldiers against the wall like they were rag dolls." With every statement that Jackie made, she took one step closer toward SG1 and Adria. "I am the one who is currently holding the rest of your soldiers and the Prior prisoner. I'm the one who just effectively turned this village away from Origin. I'm the one who has been visiting you, disguised as your mother. And I am the one that I have been warning you about." With that final statement, the lamps on either side of Adria exploded, Jackie managed to lower the shield surrounding the building, and she gave Colonel Emerson the signal to beam all of them up.

Λ

As the blinding flash of light faded, SG1 found themselves no longer standing in front of Adria, but standing on the bridge of the Odyssey. Looking around and gaining their bearings, all six members of the team caught sight of Jackie standing near the front window of the bridge. Sensing that something wasn't right, both Jack and Sam moved forward toward her. As they approached, the two officers noticed that she was so focused on something outside the window, that she was completely oblivious to their presence. But the most disturbing thing that they noticed was that Jackie was barely breathing.

"Colonel Emerson get us out of here now!" Jack barked.

"No!" Jackie barely whispered, yet the single word resonated around the bridge as if it had been yelled.

Λ

Jackie had known that there would be consequences to her actions on the planet, so even as the she was beamed up to the Odyssey with the rest of SG1, she had not let go of her link to Adria's mind. In her mind's eye she watched as Adria stormed out of the building and took in the scene before her in the village square. Taking advantage of Adria's split second surprise, Jackie finished off the Prior. However, it seemed that watching the Prior self-combust, brought Adria back to reality. Quickly, she too returned to her ship and turned the weapons toward the village below, determined that the people would pay for the blasphemy of the young woman who had approached her on the planet.

Using every last ounce of strength left, Jackie shielded the village as the Ori ship opened fire. After a few brief minutes, the Ori ship turned and left orbit, jumping into hyperspace. Only then did the link Jackie had with Adria fail, and the Prior, Ori soldiers, and shield disappeared from the village below.

With the link broken, Jackie felt the last of her strength drain away. She finally recognized her surroundings and the fact that Jack and Sam were directly behind her mere seconds before she blacked out.


	18. Chapter 17

_Last time:_

_With the link broken, Jackie felt the last of her strength drain away. She finally recognized her surroundings and the fact that Jack and Sam were directly behind her mere seconds before she blacked out._

**Chapter 17 –**

The sounds associated with the infirmary were the first things that Jackie noticed. Slowly she became aware of other things as well. She could feel the gentle rumble of the Odyssey as it hurtled through hyperspace. She could hear the steady beeping of the EKG and EEG monitors. Instinctively she knew that she wasn't alone, that SG1 was sitting around, waiting for her to wake up. However, none of these were what brought her back to consciousness. Feeling Adria connect to the Ori was the final catalyst that brought Jackie out of the darkness of unconsciousness.

Jackie's eyes flew open and she stared unseeing at the ceiling of the infirmary aboard the Odyssey.

"Jackie?" Sam questioned as she noticed Jackie waking up. This statement caught everyone else's attention and they moved closer to see how she was.

A couple minutes later, Jackie's eyes blinked and finally focused. "Well that mission was enlightening." She said as she took in the worried faces around her.

"That mission was nearly a disaster." Cam countered.

"Okay, so Plan A didn't come through, but when does it ever?" Jackie retorted.

Cam opened his mouth to reply, but closed it again when he realized that she was right.

"Mitchell does have a point though Jackie." Jack commented. "There were a lot of things that happened that we weren't counting on. Everything could have gone horribly wrong." He paused. "As it is that whole village of innocent people died because of us."

"No they didn't." Jackie replied.

"Jackie, honey, we all saw Adria's ship destroy the village." Sam cajoled.

Jackie shook her head. "I protected them, but Adria had to believe that she had destroyed the village or she would never have left them alone."

"What are you saying?" Daniel inquired.

"Before I passed out I was shielding the village as Adria attacked. As far as Adria is concerned the village was destroyed." Jackie answered. She watched as those standing over her shared looks of question, shock, and concern. She roller her eyes. "Look, everything may not have gone as planned, but the mission objective was accomplished." Seeing the skeptical looks on their faces, Jackie sighed in frustration. "The point of this mission was to test my abilities against Adria in a real life situation, and considering how often missions go as planned, this was truly a real life situation."

"And?" Vala asked quietly.

"The Prior is dead, the village renounced Origin and they weren't destroyed. And we're all here aren't we?"

"Indeed."

Λ

By the time the Odyssey arrived at Earth, Jackie was up and moving around. The rest of the team had been curious as to what exactly had happened on the planet, so they had all spent a couple hours debriefing. After which both Jack and Sam insisted that Jackie rest.

Confined to her quarters, Jackie knew she should be sleeping after overexerting herself back on the planet, but she was kept from sleeping by the thoughts running circles in her head. Needing to slow down her thoughts just to work through them, she decided to kelnoreem.

Slowly Jackie's mind released the thoughts circling around in her mind. As she moved into deeper meditation, each single thought would reemerge to be dealt with. As she reached a point of deep meditation, all thoughts faded into the background and she found herself in a deep blackness.

"Who's there?"

Jackie physically jumped as a voice spoke aloud just a few feet away. She was confused. _How could I be hearing voices? I'm in my own mind._ She had recognized the voice, but couldn't place it. Wishing that she could see who it was that was in her mind, she instantly found herself standing in a circle of light. Standing there with her...was Adria.

Forcing herself to relax and reminding herself that she was in her own mind, Jackie assumed that this was just her mind's way of helping her deal with the day's events.

"Who are you?" Jackie asked aloud.

"I am Adria, daughter of Vala, captive of the Orici."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Jackie exclaimed. "What are you talking about?"

"You know of the Orici?" Adria asked.

"Uh yeah." Jackie said, using a "duh" tone of voice. "In fact, we've met."

"Of course. You are the one who angered her today."

"You know me?" Shock laced Jackie's voice.

"Yes, for I am a part of her, but she ignores me."

Jackie raised an eyebrow.

"I am the part received from my mother, Vala."

"You're Adria's humanity!" Jackie whispered in awe.

"Yes. The part of her that she ignores and stifles."

"So you aren't just a figment of my imagination."

"No. When I realized that you were trying to find a way into the Orici's mind, I felt hope that perhaps there was a way to defeat her."

"You helped me." Realization was dawning on Jackie.

"Yes. I hid your path through her mind from her consciousness."

"But how? If she has been stifling your very existence…" Jackie trailed off.

"It was difficult at first, which was why your progress was slow in the beginning. However, as your advancement continued I became stronger. She continues to ignore me, which ahs greatly aided our progress."

"So you don't agree with her?" Jackie asked warily.

"Would I be helping you if I did?" Jackie shrugged in response. "I know who you are Jackie." Jackie looked at her in worry and surprise. "Don't worry, she doesn't know."

"How can I know that?" Jackie inquired with concern.

"You are aware that she connected to the Ori?"

"Yes."

"Then you are also aware that she has no idea who you are."

"So you've hidden this from her." Jackie retorted sarcastically.

"Like I said, she ignores me. I doubt she would listen even if I wanted to tell her who you were."

"So what now? Why are you here?" Jackie queried.

"I came to warn you." Adria replied.

"Warn me about what?"

"It's going to be you or me. Only one of us will survive. You are going to have to kill me."

* * *

_Please read and review... Let me know that people are still reading this, despite the delay in posting the last chapter._


	19. Chapter 18

_Wow this thing has gotten a lot longer and a lot more complicated than I thought it would be. I've already started on the next chapter so it should be up in the next couple of days (especially since spring break starts after my last class tomorrow! Woohoo!) I'm thinking that I'm going to try to do this in an even 20 chapters (which of course means 21 if you count the prologue) so just two more chapters guys. Hope you're all enjoying this story. Please read & review._

* * *

**Chapter 18 –**

Two days had passed since the mission to P9R-257. In that time a bit of progress was made in locating Jackie's universe. Jackie had figured that her universe had to be fairly close to this one. It wouldn't make sense, under the circumstances, for it not to be. She realized that they weren't going about this in the most effective way, but they had limited options.

The device that Jackie had created had a dial on it that would allow them to switch universes, much like the control for the quantum mirror had. Per Jackie's instructions, the scientists assigned to the project were to start at the closest universes and move out in concentric circles.

It was actually kind of cool how the device worked. The gate would be dialed to a non-inhabited planet. Then the scientists would turn the knob on the device. Instantly the wormhole would switch universes, much like the quantum mirror had. Once they had done this, they would send a small sample of Jackie's cells through the gate. They would monitor the reaction of the cells to the new universe.

The theory was that if the Ori were gone in the universe they were connected to – as they were in Jackie's – the cells would begin to de-age. If the cells didn't – which was most common – they would move to the next universe and start the process all over again.

Because of the very nature of the SGC, they couldn't afford to have the gate shut down to all travel. So the scientists were relegated to an hour at a time during the day and anytime at night as long as no teams were offworld.

The scientists had begun to run these tests after SG1 had gone through to P9R-257. Seeing as they were coming back on board the Odyssey, there was no need to worry about them needing to come back through the gate in a hurry. In the three days since beginning the experiment, they had sent samples through to several hundred universes and as of yet had come up with nothing.

"This is ridiculous!" Dr. Apple exclaimed as yet another universe was eliminated from the running. "There has got to be a more productive way of doing this!"

"Why don't all of you call it a night?" Sam responded. "I'll talk to Jackie and see if we can narrow this down any."

In relief, the scientists shut down the machine and the gate, packed everything up and headed back to the lab, before going their separate ways. Quietly, Sam moved down the halls of the SGC toward Jackie's quarters. In the two days since returning to Earth, Jackie had been very quiet and had kept mostly to herself. Because of the events on P9R-257, everyone had decided to give her a little space and allow her time to deal with what had happened.

Stopping in front of Jackie's door, Sam paused briefly, wondering if now was a good time. Deciding that now was as good as any other time, Sam tentatively knocked on the door.

"Come in." Jackie called.

As any good soldier would, Sam took in the scene before her in one quick glance. The floor was covered with candles – which provided the only illumination in the room – and sitting among them was Jackie. Food trays were stacked on the table and the bed looked untouched.

"Hey." Sam said in greeting.

Opening her eyes, Jackie took in the slightly concerned look that adorned Sam's face. "Hey yourself." She smiled warmly.

"Mind if I join you?"

"Pull up a piece of floor." Jackie replied with a twinkle in her eye. After a couple minutes of silence, Jackie noticed that something was bothering Sam. "What's wrong?"

"The scientists don't feel like they're making any progress. With an infinite number of universes, the task is beginning to feel impossible." Jackie nodded her understanding. "Is there any way to narrow their search down some?"

"If we could figure out the point of departure between our two universes it would give us a more accurate place to start than just 'close.'" Jackie said thoughtfully.

"Okay, let's start with the obvious." Sam started. Jackie raised an eyebrow in question. "You."

"Well, I was born November 28, 2004." Jackie replied.

"November 28?" Sam exclaimed. "Jackie that's in four days."

"I know." Jackie responded sadly.

"Okay, so obviously something changed before that." Sam changed the subject. "What about you're Dad and I?"

"Well it all started after Grandpa Jacob died." Jackie paused to gauge Sam's reaction. She noticed only a slight flinch, so continued. "Dad was offered the Homeworld Security position. He went to Washington to talk with President Hayes. When he returned, Hank Landry was head of Homeworld Security and Dad was still leading the SGC. The only difference was that Dad was a civilian."

"Well, that's definitely a difference." Sam said dryly. "Wait, Dad died January of 2004. And you were born in November?"

Jackie raised her eyebrow again and shrugged. "I guess you guys figured that eight years was long enough to wait."

Sam buried her face in her hands. "I cannot believe that I am having this conversation with you."

Λ

After promising Sam that she would meet her in the lab at 0800 the next morning, Jackie found herself once again alone. As much as she cared for and respected the woman who was, in so many ways, like her mother, she was glad for the solitude. Jackie was well aware that she was going to have to eventually tell the others about her talk with Adria's "humanity," but she was still trying to process what had happened.

Almost from the beginning, Jackie had known that if it was at all possible, she was going to have to destroy Adria. But that had been before she met Adria's humanity. She could not shake the fact that by killing the Orici she would also be killing one who was truly Vala's daughter. For the first time in nearly a month, Jackie wavered in her resolve to help save the galaxy by destroying Adria.

Jackie hadn't actually slept since talking with Adria. She would close her eyes only to see the Orici standing over her humanity and laughing because she was dead. Wishing to remove that picture from her mind's eye, Jackie had spent much of the last two days in kelnoreem.

"You're hiding."

Jackie sighed. She'd been trying to clear her mind of Adria through kelnoreem, not talk to her again. "I'm not hiding, I'm trying to cope."

"Please…" Adria retorted as she moved to sit in front of Jackie. "You're hiding."

Jackie only glared in response.

"Come on Jackie…up until two days ago you were more than ready to kill me…now you're sitting here in the dark, surrounded by candles, and afraid to sleep."

"What do you want?" Jackie demanded loudly.

"Me? I'd like to destroy the Orici so that I can live my own life." Adria looked pointedly at Jackie. "But that's not going to happen."

"Adria…"

"Look Jackie, I'm okay with dying. The Orici must be stopped…and if that means I lose my life in the process…I really am okay with it."

"Adria…"

"I can't undo all the death that the Orici has caused, but I can prevent more from happening. But I need you to help me."

"Would you let me finish my sentence?" Jackie exclaimed in exasperation. Adria raised an eyebrow. "I know that I have to do this. That's not the problem."

"Then what is?" Adria asked curiously.

"What isn't?" Jackie grumbled. "I promised that I would be completely honest about this whole thing. But how can I face my parents, not to mention Vala, with the fact that I'm not just killing a psychopath, I'm killing a sentient and moral being. The very daughter that Vala hoped for."

"Oh."

"Yeah, oh." Jackie sighed. "But it's not just that."

"There's more?"

"It's different for you Adria. You don't remember life before being the Orici…for you there was no life prior to that fact…it's why you were created." Jackie bit her lip and paused for a moment. "I had two years with my parents, living as a normal child before I was turned into…" she gestured at herself. "…this. I have spent nearly the last year fighting against what the Ori were trying to do to me…and fighting back when I finally had a chance. But deep down there is still a part of me that doesn't believe that it will ever go away, or that I will ever overcome who the Ori wanted me to be. Meeting you brought me hope. If your humanity could survive against the odds there was no telling what mine could do." Jackie looked away from Adria's piercing eyes.

"And you're afraid that by killing me you'll kill your hope." Adria stated with understanding. "You're right about one thing Jackie…as similar as our situations are, they are also very different. You will come out of this all right. You'll find that way home and you'll get to live out your childhood as you were meant to."

"And I can't help feeling guilty for that."

Λ

Jackie slowly blinked her eyes and found herself staring at the ceiling of her quarters. Sitting up, she found herself in her bed. Quickly looking at her clock she realized that it was 0715. Jumping out of bed she hurriedly showered and dressed, the whole time wondering how she managed to sleep dreamlessly.

0759 found Jackie running around the last corner and stopping breathlessly in the door of her lab. Trying to steady her breathing, Jackie checked her watch and saw it change to 0800. She smiled to herself. Out of breath, but not late.

"Coffee?"

Jackie jumped at the voice coming from directly in front of her. Looking up she saw Sam holding out a mug of steaming coffee, a look of concern shining through her eyes, betraying the smile on her face.

"Thanks." Jackie responded with a smile. "Sorry about that entrance." She continued sheepishly as she sipped the scalding coffee. "I fell asleep last night before I could set my alarm."

"So you did actually get some sleep last night?" Sam asked in relief.

Jackie nodded. "I don't actually remember climbing into bed last night, or even falling asleep. One minute I was doing kelnoreem and the next I was waking up in my bed."

Sam frowned, but then shrugged it off. "Maybe your mind was telling you that you needed sleep."

"Maybe." Jackie said half-smiling. She bit her lip in contemplation.

"Spill it." Jack ordered gently from behind Jackie.

"Huh?" Jackie mumbled, turning and looking at Jack.

"You have that look on your face like you have something you want to say but don't know how to say it."

"But…"

"Trust me." Jack interrupted. "I've seen that look many times on Carter's face. You could be related or something." He finished with a twinkle in his eyes.

"It's nothing really. I've just spent a lot of time these last few days going over what happened on P9R-257."

"And?" Sam and Jack both prompted simultaneously.

"I think I can beat her." She looked between the two people who were practically her parents…practically. "Once and for all."

Λ

Sam and Jackie spent the morning trying to narrow down where on the dial would be a better place to start. Near midday Sam sat back and sighed in frustration.

"We've bitten off more than we can chew, haven't we?" Jackie raised an eyebrow in curiosity at Sam's question. "I mean, there are an infinite number of alternate universes, how are we supposed to find yours?"

Jackie sighed, Sam was right. "It's too bad that this thing didn't come with dates." She said as she once again looked at the device.

"Need some help?"

Jackie whirled around at the now familiar face. As she did, the room around her faded.

"What are you doing here?" Jackie hissed.

"Don't worry," Adria replied as she walked toward where Sam stood. "This is all happening in your head. As far as Sam is concerned, you're staring at that device and thinking deeply."

"So now I don't have to be in kelnoreem in order to talk to you?"

"You didn't have to be to get into the Orici's mind."

"Hmm."

"Ad as I said earlier," Adria continued. "I have been getting stronger."

"So you think you can help?" Jackie asked incredulously.

"I don't know, but I'd like to try."

"Okay."

Λ

Sam watched Jackie as she stared intently at the device in her hands. Had Jackie been one of the other scientists, Sam might have broken the silence, but because of Jackie's "unique" talents, Sam left her to her thoughts.

Λ

"There." Adria sad as she stepped away. "That should be a better place to start."

"If you say so." Jackie replied as she looked at the device.

"It is time for me to leave." Jackie raised an eyebrow at Adria. "Everything is about to be set in motion. I will see you soon."

Jackie nodded and looked aback at the device.

"Unscheduled offworld activation!"

Jackie looked up and found that she was back in the lab with Sam. Without a word, but with a shared look, the two women ran out of the lab and toward the gateroom.

By the time Jackie and Sam arrived in the gateroom, Landry, Jack, and the rest of SG1 were greeting Bra'tac at the bottom of the ramp. Sam smiled as she moved toward Bra'tac to greet him. Jackie followed but stayed a short distance behind since this Bra'tac didn't know her.

"I am afraid I am not here for a social call O'Neill." Bra'tac said in response to Jack's greeting. "I am here on urgent business."

Jack nodded and looked at Hank. "Let's move this to the briefing room then." Hank responded.

Λ

Once SG1, Landry, O'Neill, Jackie and Bra'tac were seated, Landry nodded at Bra'tac to begin.

"Yesterday I was visiting a band of Free Jaffa who have not succumbed to the teachings of the Ori. Shortly after I arrived, the woman who leads the soldiers of the Ori arrived as well."

"Adria." Vala interrupted.

"Yes." Bra'tac acknowledged. "She said that she did not come to destroy us. Instead, she was searching for one who thought that she could defeat the power of the Ori." The shared looks of the others sitting at the table were not lost on Bra'tac, however, they were misinterpreted. "I too felt surprise and hope. This person would be a powerful ally if she truly existed.

"However, Adria believes that she does indeed exist. She has given us until today at sundown to locate this person or she will destroy the planet."

Everyone sitting at the table – except Bra'tac – knew exactly who Adria was speaking of. For what seemed like a long time, Jack and Jackie stared at each other, while the others, save Bra'tac, looked between the two, wondering what they would say.

"I'm afraid all we can do to help Bra'tac is to offer our assistance in relocating your people before Adria returns." Jack finally responded.

All of SG1 noticed as Jackie bowed her head in defeat and grief.

"Your aid would be greatly appreciated O'Neill." Bra'tac responded.

"We'll gather a couple SG teams to send with you Master Bra'tac." Landry announced.

Bra'tac simply nodded his head in thanks.

Λ

Thirty minutes after the briefing with Bra'tac split up, Jackie entered the gateroom with Bra'tac and Teal'c. SG1, Hank and Jack stood there with SG3 and SG7. Just moments after all were gathered in the gateroom, the stargate connected and SG3 and 7 moved through the gate. Bra'tac took a moment to say farewell and thank you one last time before heading up the ramp.

At the top of the ramp, Bra'tac turned and looked over the small crowd gathered at the bottom of the ramp. He looked concerned for a moment, but then bowed his head in farewell before turning and stepping through the stargate.

Λ

That evening found Sam, Jackie, and their team of scientists in the gateroom preparing to run their tests with Jackie's new place to start on the continuum of universes. As they were setting up, they began to realize that they were missing a lot of components. So Jackie sent several scientists to retrieve them.

"Colonel Carter," Walter announced from the control room. When she looked up in response he continued, "Generals O'Neill and Landry want to see you."

"Thank you Walter." Sam said as she hurried up to Landry's office.

Ten minutes later, Sam came back into the gateroom to find the scientists had everything set up and were about ready to start up the experiments.

"Where's Jackie?" Sam asked as she took in the scene before her.

"I don't know Colonel." Dr. Apple replied without looking up. "She wasn't here when we got back."


	20. Chapter 19

_Almost done guys! Although I think I've changed my mind...there is going to be an epilogue. Please read and review!_

* * *

**Chapter 19 –**

The scientists working with Sam and Jackie had discovered a rather annoying hitch in their experiments with the gate: it still shut down every 38 minutes. Nothing they could do would prolong the time that the wormhole would stay engaged, so every 38 minutes the gate had to be redialed.

At first, they ran into the problem of the gate shutting down before they knew if the universe they were connected to was the one they wanted. Eventually they timed everything right so that they didn't have that problem – often manually shutting down the gate and redialing before the 38 minutes were up.

It was during one of these breaks, near the end of their night, that their experiments were interrupted by an incoming wormhole.

"Unscheduled offworld activation!"

Following orders from Sam, the scientists scurried out of the room as the SFs moved in. Grabbing an extra weapon that one of the SFs handed her, Sam took up a position at the base of the ramp.

"Walter?" Hank asked as he and Jack came barreling down the stairs into the control room.

"Receiving SG3's IDC, Sir."

"Open the iris." Hank told Walter, then announced over the intercom into the gateroom, "Defense team stand down."

Sam felt herself relaxing slightly at Landry's announcement. However, she found herself once again on edge when she saw Bra'tac walk back through the gate with SG3 and 7. She glanced up at the control room in time to catch the surprise on Jack and Landry's faces before they hurried into the gateroom.

"Bra'tac!" Jack exclaimed as he came into the gateroom. "Is everything alright?"

Bra'tac looked chagrined as he looked at Jack. "I am afraid that I have acted dishonorably toward you O'Neill."

"I don't understand." Jack responded.

"I have betrayed your trust."

Λ

_Flashback:_

_Bra'tac took a moment to say farewell and thank you one last time before heading up the ramp. As he came close to the stargate, he heard a voice in his head._

"_Tell Adria that the one she seeks will meet her in sixteen hours." This was followed by a picture in his head of a gate address._

_Bra'tac turned around and surveyed those standing at the bottom of the ramp, for he recognized the voice._

"_Do not react, Master Bra'tac." The voice continued. "I know who it is that Adria seeks. However, the others are not sure that she can defeat Adria."_

_When Bra'tac bowed his head, he was not doing it in farewell as the others thought, but instead an acknowledgement and acceptance of the message and explanation._

Λ

All those seated at the briefing room table – SG1, Jack and Landry – shared a look as Bra'tac finished his explanation. They were surprised that Jackie had communicated with Bra'tac in this manner. Suddenly, Jack's face went white.

"Where **is** Jackie?" Jack asked in desperation.

Everyone looked around, almost surprised that she wasn't there.

"I haven't seen her since last night as we set up to continue our tests with her device." Sam finally broke the silence.

"You don't think…" Jack couldn't finish his sentence; he suddenly knew what he would have done in her shoes.

Λ

_The night before:_

_The timing of Walter's announcement couldn't have been better. There were only two other scientists in the gateroom and they were busy studying readouts on a computer. Using the excuse that she was checking the device, Jackie moved up the ramp toward the active stargate. She bent over to check the device and stole a glance at the control room. When Walter was sidetracked, Jackie took a half step sideways into the event horizon._

_Coming out the other side, Jackie stood up and moved toward the DHD. She sat there and waited for the gate to disengage. Once it did, Jackie dialed the coordinates that she had given to Bra'tac. As soon as the event horizon was formed, she stepped through._

Λ

Jack had been ready to follow Jackie through the stargate and bring her back to Earth before Adria showed up for their meeting. However, the fates seemed to be against him that day. No sooner had Jack received the gate address written by Bra'tac and hurried down the stairs to the control room, than an excited yell went up from the scientists still working in the gateroom.

Instantly, Carter was running past Jack and down into the gateroom, excited and yet scared to see what the scientists had discovered.

"Colonel Carter!" Dr. Apple exclaimed as Sam rushed through the doors. "We found one! We finally found one!" Just then the gate shut down and there was a collective groan from the scientists. "Dial it back up Walter!" Dr. Apple yelled up towards the control room before turning back to Sam.

"What exactly are you saying doctor?" Sam queried, not wanting to jump to any conclusions.

Just then the seventh chevron locked and the wormhole formed, drowning out what Dr. Apple was saying.

"I'm sorry, could you repeat that?"

"The cells that we sent through started to de-age." Dr. Apple repeated with a smile.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes Ma'am. I could almost see it happening."

And so Jack was forced to sit back and wait – something that he was not any good at. For three hours he paced around the base in a foul mood. It hadn't taken long for the entire base to realize that he was pissed off, and went out of their way to avoid him as much as possible. Jack was about to storm up to Landry's office and pull rank, when he nearly barreled over Vala.

"You realize we could have been there hours ago." Vala said as Jack stormed passed her without an apology for almost running her over. She smiled as her words stopped him in his tracks.

"What are you talking about?" Jack growled as he spun around and fixed her with one of his most intimidating glares.

But Vala wasn't one to be easily intimidated. "How do you think she did it, huh? How did she get through the stargate without anyone realizing it?"

Jack simply glared some more.

"She would have had to slip through the gate when no one was looking…" Vala paused for dramatic affect, "…and before the scientists switched the gate to a different reality."

Understanding started to dawn on Jack. "All she would have had to do was wait for the scientists to start their experiments and the gate where she was would have shut off." Vala nodded. "And she could have gated to whatever planet she wanted."

Vala glanced at her watch. "You know, the stargate is scheduled to shut itself down in about 12 minutes."

"We'll have to be quick."

"Come on General, you're former black ops and I'm a thief, we can do quick."

Λ

Twelve minutes later found Jack and Vala skulking in the hall outside the gateroom.

"We're going to need a distraction." Jack mumbled.

"Don't worry I…"

"Oh, Jack, there you are, I've been looking for you every…" Daniel stopped talking and stared at the two. "What are you two doing? And why are you geared up to go off…" His last question was cut short as he was engulfed in blue electricity.

Vala and Jack looked up and saw Teal'c standing behind where Daniel had just been, holding a zat. Jack and Teal'c stared at each other for a moment over Daniel's prone body.

"You must hurry O'Neill. Daniel Jackson will not be out for long and it will not take the scientists long to active Jacquelyn O'Neill's device."

Jack smiled and nodded his thanks. Turning back toward the gateroom he again mumbled something about needing a distraction.

"Do not worry O'Neill." With that, Teal'c was gone, taking Daniel with him.

Not long after Teal'c left, Walter announced that the seventh chevron was locked, and the wormhole was once again established. However, the event horizon had just barely settled back into its natural pattern and Sam was preparing to turn on the quantum device.

"Colonel Carter come quick!" Teal'c yelled from the opposite side of the gateroom. "Something has happened to Daniel Jackson!"

The response was immediate. Sam nearly dropped the control for the device in her hurry to set it down and move to Daniel's aid. The rest of the scientists, being the curious people that they were, followed her toward the hall.

Without needing to say a word, Jack and Vala dashed into the gateroom the second that they realized all of the scientists were distracted. Not stopping for anything, the two dashed up the ramp and through the stargate, no one except Teal'c knowing what was going on.

Λ

Daniel slowly came to. As his eyes focused he noticed Teal'c, Sam, and the scientists from the gateroom standing around him. Suddenly he remembered what had been happening right before he couldn't remember anything.

"Jack! Vala!" He sat up and looked around for them.

"Whoa Daniel, not so fast." Sam admonished.

"What happened? The last thing I remember I was talking to Jack and Vala."

"You blacked out Daniel Jackson." Teal'c replied.

"But Jack and Vala were standing right…" Suddenly Daniel noticed that he was not on the side of the gateroom that he remembered being on.

"I have not seen O'Neill or Vala Mal Doran in this hallway Daniel Jackson."

Daniel looked around in confusion. Something was going on and he didn't know what. Looking up at Teal'c, he noticed something in his eyes and in the set of his jaw. Something was definitely going on, and Daniel was determined to find out what.

Λ

"Do you think anyone suspects anything?" Vala asked as she and Jack stood next to the DHD, waiting for the stargate to disengage.

"We would have company if they did." Jack returned.

"Huh." Vala was quiet for a few seconds. "So why hasn't the stargate shut down then?"

Jack sighed. "They're probably busy making sure that Daniel is alright. Once they're sure…" Just then the gate shut down. "…the gate will shut down." Jack said as he turned toward the DHD.

Not wanting to waste another minute, Jack input the coordinates that Bra'tac had given him. The moment that the event horizon had settled, he moved toward the base of the stairs that led up to the gate.

"General?"

Jack turned and looked at Vala. "Yes Vala?" He asked with strained patience.

"What do you think we'll find?"

Realizing that he wasn't the only one who had a daughter on the other side of that wormhole, Jack put aside his impatience. "I don't know Vala." He said, allowing her to see his fear. "But I can't just leave her there to handle this situation alone."

After the briefest moment to consider what Jack had said, Vala moved to stand next to him. "Shall we?"

Λ

Jackie had been systematic when picking the planet on which to meet Adria. She knew that the conditions had to be just right. When she had come across P2J-572 she had been ecstatic. The planet was uninhabited, the stargate sat at one end of a huge meadow, and, most importantly, the upper atmosphere was heavy and electromagnetic, meaning that the only way on or off the planet was by stargate.

The moment Jackie stepped through the stargate onto P2J-572 she was on high alert. She knew that Adria wasn't there yet, and would be for about 12 hours, but she was her father's daughter. As such, she knew she had to be prepared for anything and everything.

Deciding that she was alone for the moment, Jackie turned toward the trees that stood toward the side and behind the stargate. There she settled down to wait.

Sleep snuck up on Jackie as she waited, well concealed behind the trees. She completely lost track of time, allowing ten hours to pass in a flash. The sound of the gate dialing brought her back to wakefulness. Standing, she leaned against the biggest tree and listened. Several minutes passed and nothing happened. She had expected Adria to come through immediately and was surprised when she didn't.

Before too long, Jackie felt a presence that she recognized come through the gate.

* * *

_Sorry about the cliff-hanger...I'll have the next chapter up as soon as I can...there's going to be a lot of action so it may take me awhile to write it. Don't forget to review...it helps me write faster!_


	21. Chapter 20

_Wow this is a long chapter. Well guys, this is the last chapter. I've already started working on the epilogue though, so hopefully it won't be too long before it's up. Thank you to those who have been faithful in reading this story, and I apologize for how long it's taken me to finish it. _

_Spoiler alert: the very end has a bit of a spoiler for 10x19 "Dominion" It's brief though._

* * *

_Last time:_

_The sound of the gate dialing brought her back to wakefulness. Standing, she leaned against the biggest tree and listened. Several minutes passed and nothing happened. She had expected Adria to come through immediately and was surprised when she didn't._

_Before too long, Jackie felt a presence that she recognized come through the gate._

**Chapter 20 –**

Once the gate disengaged, Jackie took a deep breath to calm herself. Coming out from behind the large tree she had been using as shelter, she made her way up the back of the platform, stopping only when she stood in the middle of the stargate.

"Looking for me?" Jackie finally broke the silence.

Adria whirled around at the sound of Jackie's voice. With a wave of her arm that seemed nothing more than an extension of her turn, she tried to throw Jackie. However, Jackie was expecting that move and managed to counteract the attack so that she didn't budge from her spot.

Jackie raised an eyebrow at Adria. "Not even going to say hello?"

Adria smirked. "That was a nice show you put on the last time we met. Yet with all that you still lost." She turned and began to pace. "What makes you think you can win now?"

"I wasn't trying to win before." Jackie replied. Moving slowly down the dais she continued, "Our last meeting was nothing more than a test."

"We are not so different you and I." Adria returned, continuing to move in cadence with Jackie. Jackie raised her eyebrow again. "My first plan is not to destroy the people of this galaxy, but sometimes they simply cannot be saved."

Jackie felt her anger rising as the two continued to circle. Using every ounce of strength she possessed, she suppressed her anger before replying.

"There is one major difference Adria…You destroy those who will not convert; I don't destroy, I have to choose whom I will save."

"You are a naïve child." Adria answered in anger.

"Perhaps." Jackie said. "But I'm older than you." To emphasize her point, Jackie raised her arm and flung Adria 10 yards back.

In retaliation, Adria swung her arm and flung Jackie to the left, causing her to hit the DHD. "My age is irrelevant." She said as she stood and used her power to hold Jackie against the DHD. "I have the power of the Ori on my side."

"Funny," Jackie croaked. "So do I!" Freeing one arm she managed to knock Adria's feet out from under her, making her land on her face.

"Impossible." Adria demanded as she stood and faced off with Jackie.

Jackie shrugged. "Personally I would us 'improbable.' I've learned over the years that the impossible happens."

The two young women resumed their circling. They had each done a round and a half when the gate began to dial and caught their attention. Adria looked left and Jackie looked right, both watching in surprise and fascination as the gate dialed and connected, forming the shimmering blue of the event horizon.

Reacting quickly, Adria threw up a force field around the dais and stargate. Jackie raised an eyebrow at her.

"I will not allow your people to interfere." Adria explained angrily.

"And how do I know that your people aren't the ones that are about to come through?" Jackie replied.

"No one knows where I am."

"Only one knows where I was going, and he is the one who told you." Jackie returned with a sinking feeling. Oh she really hoped that Bra'tac hadn't returned to the SGC and told…

Jackie didn't have time to finish her thought as the event horizon rippled and Vala and Jack stepped through.

It took only a matter of seconds for Jack and Vala to take in the scene before them. Both of the younger women were in battle stances and were covered with cuts and dirt.

"Jackie."

"Adria."

Jack and Vala spoke simultaneously and stepped forward only to be stopped by the force field. With a sinking feeling in their guts, the two parents realized they were going to have to watch from where they were.

Taking advantage of the distraction, Adria threw a bolt of energy at Jackie. Jack and Vala watched in horror as a large explosion filled the area where Jackie had just been standing. With a vile look of triumph on her face, Adria turned toward the two behind the force shield. But neither paid attention as the dust settled.

"Jackie." Jack mumbled.

"Sorry General, she's gone. No one can stand up to the power of the Ori." Adria sneered.

"You're a little premature in your gloating, Adria."

Adria spun around and stared in openmouthed shock as a force shield visibly lowered around Jackie.

"I'll give you on thing, though, you're consistent; even if your beliefs _are_ pigheaded." Jackie smiled.

Λ

Daniel hurried from the infirmary before Dr. Lam could change her mind. Hurrying down the corridors, he pushed through the door into the gym. Pausing only a moment to locate his target, he hurried over to the mats and stopped just in front of the massive bulk that was Teal'c.

Since leaving Daniel in Dr. Lams' care, Teal'c had been expecting him to show up with a dozen questions, so he wasn't surprised when Daniel showed up in the gym. However, it was still a good thing that Teal'c had such intricate control of his reactions, or Daniel would have required another visit to Dr. Lam.

"It isn't wise to stand there Daniel Jackson." Teal'c said without stopping his training, instead working around Daniel's position.

"Where are they Teal'c?" Daniel asked, unfazed by Teal'c's warning.

"Of what do you speak Daniel Jackson?"

"Jack and Vala, Teal'c, Jack and Vala. They are no where to be found on base and neither one signed out of the base."

For the first time since Daniel entered the gym, Teal'c stopped and looked at him. Turning, he shot a pointed look at the two airmen who were using the weights. Silently the two young men hurried out of the gym, leaving Daniel and Teal'c alone in the room.

"I do not know the exact location of O'Neill and Vala Mal Doran."

"But you have an idea where they are." Daniel stated.

Teal'c simply bowed his head in response.

"Well?" Daniel asked impatiently.

"What is your belief regarding Jacquelyn O'Neill's location?"

"That she went to fight Adria." Daniel responded, a 'duh' tone in his voice.

Teal'c's only response was another pointed look.

"…and Bra'tac gave Jack the address to the planet where his daughter and Vala's daughter would be fighting to the death." Daniel answered the unspoken prompt.

Teal'c nodded.

"There's one thing I still don't understand."

"What is that Daniel Jackson?"

"How did Jack and Vala, not to mention Jackie, manage to gate offworld without alerting the entire base?"

"I believe the ongoing experiments in the gateroom afforded them the same opportunity." Teal'c replied.

"Of course! The gate was already dialed." Daniel exclaimed. "All they needed to do was wait on the other side for the wormhole to disengage before dialing the other planet. It's ingenious!"

"Indeed."

Λ

Jack looked down at his watch, 3 Earth hours had passed since he and Vala stepped through the gate and found themselves locked behind a force field. In that time, Jackie and Adria had been doling out some serious fire power. Looking back up at the scene in front of him, Jack took in the sight of the two young women: bruised, cut, bleeding and short of breath. They stood a good 25 yards apart, awaiting the next onslaught of fighting.

"_Jackie, I am losing strength. I will not be able to help you much longer."_

"_You've been…?"_ Jackie thought in response to the familiar voice in her head.

"_The pendant Jackie. You must go for the pendant. It is your only hope."_

Jackie eyed Adria. She had heard the stories about Adria's pendant.

"Come Adria, simply admit that you are wrong and we can end this."

Jack's head came up at Jackie's statement. Catching the movement, Vala looked back and forth between the two young women and Jack.

"What's wrong?" Vala asked.

"I don't know, but something's about to happen." Jack responded.

"How do you know?" Vala queried.

"Jackie is baiting Adria."

"No matter how well or hard you fight, the truth will win." Adria returned angrily.

"Which is why I suggested that you admit defeat." Jackie shot back.

"Origin is the true path to enlightenment." Adria argued. In her anger Adria failed to notice that Jackie was moving closer.

"See, that's what the Ori want people to believe." Jackie continued. "After all, they covet power. In order to obtain that power, they need worshippers and in order to get those worshippers, they use threats and lies."

"Blasphemer!" Adria shouted as she sent another blast at Jackie.

This time however, Jackie simply absorbed the energy instead of repelling it. Three sets of eyes stared at her in shock.

"It's only blasphemy if it's not true." Jackie replied, ignoring the looks. Adria opened her mouth to respond, but Jackie cut her off, "I am living proof, Adria, that the Ori are not who they claim to be."

Adria narrowed her eyes as she regarded Jackie.

"Come on Adria! Are you seriously trying to tell me that you haven't wondered how I'm able to fight you?" Jackie goaded.

"It is irrelevant." Adria replied with a false calm.

"You can't fool me with your nonchalant exterior Adria, I'm in your head." Jackie mocked.

"That isn't possible."

"But that's where you're wrong." Jackie smirked. "All those times you thought Vala was communicating with you, allowing you to teach her about Origin – that was me. I convinced your brain that you were actually seeing her standing there."

With a wild yell, Adria sent off another energy blast toward Jackie. Again, she simply absorbed the energy.

Watching from the dais, Jack noticed that the distance between Jackie and Adria had decreased from 25 yards down to 15.

"Now that's the Adria that I know and detest." Jackie was almost laughing at how predictably Adria was reacting.

"How?" Adria said through gritted teeth.

"Ah, there's the question of the century." Jackie suddenly got serious. "I'm you Adria." Adria frowned. "Or at least a different version of the Orici." Jackie's smirk started to kick back in. "I'm the failed version of the Orici. But I'm okay with that, because it proves that the Ori are NOT infallible." Adria's face grew stone cold. "What's wrong? Don't believe me? Well maybe this will help."

In an unanticipated move, Jackie projected her memories from her time among the Ori to Adria's mind. Adria doubled over with head in hands at the impact of the memories. A couple minutes later, Adria opened her eyes, straightened up and glared at Jackie.

"You lie." Adria demanded angrily.

"Doesn't matter whether you believe me or not." Jackie responded calmly before sending off an energy blast toward Adria.

Adria stood in place with a smirk on her face. Every other time, since the fight began, that Jackie had fired off an energy blast it hadn't affected Adria. As the energy blast hit Adria, it enveloped her and threw her back several feet. When she sat up, she was bleeding from a new cut on her head and looked shocked that the blast had had any affect on her.

"Missing something?" Jackie asked with an eyebrow raised.

Instinctively, Adria reached her hand up to her neck where her pendant usually lay. It was missing. She looked up at Jackie in consternation.

"It's amazing how handy a distraction can be." Jackie answered Adria's unasked question.

"The memories." Adria stated unemotionally as she stood to her feet.

"Funny thing about that pendant," Jackie said. "It can withstand any kind of Ancient or Ori technology and power, but disintegrated under the inferior power of a Tauri weapon."

Adria didn't waste her breath responding, she was too angry to formulate words anyway. Instead she mustered all the power she could and shot off a continuous energy blast at Jackie.

Reacting quickly, Jackie did the same.

From the dais, Jack and Vala watched in fascination as the two beams met in the middle. For several long minutes, the two beams met directly in the middle of the two young women. However, it couldn't stay that way forever. All too soon, the massive energy spike where the two beams met started moving closer to Jackie.

It didn't take a genius to realize that Jackie was in trouble. As a genius however, Jackie knew better than most just how bad it would be if that energy spike actually reached her position. She was starting to run out of options. Realizing that there was only one option left, Jackie did the last thing that she wanted to do: she connected to the Ori and pulled her power directly from them.

Λ

The second that Daniel had realized what Teal'c was trying not to actually tell him, he ran out of the gym toward the gateroom. Bursting into the room, he paused for a split second to locate Sam and then hurried over to her.

"Sam, can I talk to you for a minute?"

"I'm kind of busy at the moment, Daniel, can it wait?"

"It's kind of urgent."

For the first time since their short conversation started, Sam noticed the strained and worried sound in Daniel's voice. Turning she looked at him, concern written across her face.

"What's wrong Daniel?"

Daniel opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted by a yell from the group of scientists closest to the stargate.

"Colonel Carter!"

Sending Daniel an apologetic look, Sam hurried across the gateroom to the stargate. Understanding the importance of a breakthrough, Daniel followed.

"What's happening Dr. Apple?" Sam asked as she came up to the group of scientists. "Is it the one we're looking for?"

"I'm not sure, Colonel. We were going back through the alternate universes that we've left cells in. There was an anomaly with the cells in this one, but I'm not sure what it is. I've never seen this kind of anomaly before."

Sam turned to the computer that Dr. Apple had been working at and looked over the information that had been collected. It didn't take her long before she saw what she had been hoping not to see.

"It's entropic cascade failure." Sam sighed. "Keep checking the others."

"Yes Colonel." Dr. Apple replied solemnly.

"What did you want to tell me earlier, Daniel?" Sam asked as the two friends moved away from the scientists.

"How long will it take you to check all of the alternate universes that you've left cells in?" Daniel inquired.

Sam gave him a look, but when he wouldn't say anything more she answered him. "Two, maybe three hours."

Daniel nodded. "When you're done, you're going to need to leave the gate open."

"Why?" Sam demanded, allowing her frustration to show through. "Daniel what the hell is going on?"

"Let's take a walk."

Λ

The change happened in the blink of an eye. In fact, neither Jack nor Vala were very certain if they saw correctly. All they remembered was an enormous explosion and the force field falling. Once the force field was down however, the dais and stargate were flooded with the floating dirt that had been flung into the air by the explosion.

Moving quickly, the two put their sunglasses on to protect their eyes and pulled their shirts up over their noses. Thus protected, Jack and Vala moved down off the dais. Silently, Jack motioned Vala to move toward the last place they had seen Adria. Vala nodded and moved in that direction, putting her radio earpiece in place. Doing the same, Jack moved toward the last place he'd seen Jackie.

The closer Jack moved toward the location of the explosion, the thicker the air became with dirt. It finally became so think that Jack, who had an excellent sense of direction, was unsure which way he was headed. Reaching down into the right cargo pocket of his BDUs, Jack pulled out a smallish device that he had swiped from Carter's lab.

Turning the device on, Jack located three signals. The signals that the device was picking up were from the locater chip implants that all SGC personnel received. Locating the only one of the three not moving, Jack relied on the device to guide him through the dirt filled air.

Jack was within a few feet of Jackie, and still unable to see her, when his radio crackled.

"_General, can you see anything in this cloud of dirt?"_

"Not with my eyes, but I swiped some doohickey from Carter's lab that picks up the signals from the locater chip implants that we all have."

"_Well at least _you're_ making progress." _Vala replied sarcastically. _"I can't see a thing in this…DAMN IT! What the hell?"_

Jack stopped in his tracks. "What is it Vala?"

"_Adria."_

"And…?"

"_There's a pulse, but it's faint. Without immediate medical attention she won't make it."_

"Understood. I'm not far from Jackie, I'll contact you when I'm sure of her condition."

"_Okay."_

"Dad?"

Jack again stopped in his tracks as he heard the one voice he wanted to hear more than anything else at that moment.

"Jackie?" Jack smiled with relief. "Stay put kiddo – I'm having a hard enough time finding you in this cloud without you moving."

As Jack spoke, he noticed that the dirt seemed to be settling – and at a rather alarming rate. Within a few seconds, the entire area was clear and Jack could see Jackie just a couple feet away. Turning briefly, he located Vala and Adria. When he returned his attention to Jackie, he was surprised to see her sitting up.

"Hey, do you really think you should be getting up?" Jack asked as he hurried to Jackie's side.

"I need to make sure…" Jackie stopped her thought mid-sentence as she struggled to her feet. She grimaced as she grabbed her side.

"Jackie, maybe we should…"

"No!" Jackie interrupted vehemently. "There's something I need to do."

Nodding reluctantly, Jack wrapped an arm around Jackie's waist and helped her walk the few yards to where Vala stood over Adria. As the two came up, Vala stepped away and let them pass. With just a couple feet left, Jackie pushed away from Jack and knelt down on one knee next to Adria.

Once she was sure that she was steady in her new position, Jackie leaned over and checked for Adria's pulse. Like Vala had said, it was there but it was faint.

"I'm sorry." She whispered so that the other two couldn't hear.

Adria's eyes flew open, surprising the three above her. They were all too shocked to move immediately.

"No…" Adria shook her head. "I'm the one who's sorry." She turned and looked at Jackie. _"I didn't know Jackie…I swear I didn't know."_

Suddenly a bright light enveloped Adria's body and began to float upwards, leaving her clothes and three very stunned people behind.


	22. Epilogue

_Here it is: the end of the story! It's about stinkin' time! Sorry about how long it took to finish this story, but it took quite a few different twists then I was expecting. I'm planning on starting the third and final installment of this trilogy soon, so stay tuned and enjoy!_

* * *

**Epilogue –**

Jack had left Jackie's side only once since bringing her back through the gate, and then only because Dr. Lam threatened to have him physically removed from the infirmary so that she could assess Jackie's injuries. Once Dr. Lam was certain that her injuries were superficial and that exhaustion was the sole reason for her unconscious state, nothing short of the end of the world would pull Jack away from Jackie's bedside.

Λ

Sam was concerned. She had only convinced the scientists to postpone the experiments in the gateroom after they had checked the remaining alternate universes where they had left cells, and placed another dozen. The timing had been lucky. Not two minutes after removing the scientists and their equipment from the gateroom, an incoming wormhole was established and Vala and Jack, carrying an unconscious Jackie, came through. Jack had been worthless since, leaving Vala to explain the day's events in the debriefing.

All that had been 30 hours ago and still nothing had changed. Jackie was still asleep, Jack hadn't left the infirmary and had barely touched the food brought to him – and then only because Dr. Lam threatened to attach an IV if he didn't eat – and the scientists were well into checking their third round of cells in alternate universes for signs of entropic cascade failure, with no end in sight.

Λ

Since leaving the debriefing where Vala had announced that Adria had ascended, Daniel had spent his time in his office trying to find a solution to this new problem.

Knowing Daniel as they did, Cameron and Teal'c took turns bringing Daniel coffee and making Daniel leave his lab every couple of hours to eat, sleep, or just take a walk around to clear his head. When they weren't helping Daniel, Cam and Teal'c were going about other duties or running errands for the scientists in the gateroom.

Λ

Vala had taken it upon herself to keep an eye on Jack, bringing him food and coffee, and making sure that he wasn't disturbed. For a split second Teal'c had considered disputing her unspoken claim to be the one to keep an eye on Jack, but then realized that due to the events of the day, Vala was the one best able to help him. So Teal'c had backed off and enlisted Cam's help in aiding Daniel and Sam.

Λ

"Colonel Carter!" Dr. Apple yelled across the gateroom from her location near the gate.

Sam looked up from her discussion with Cam and Teal'c. Quickly, the three hurried to Dr. Apple's side.

"We've found one Colonel Carter!" Dr. Apple exclaimed in excitement as the three members of SG1 drew closer.

"What?!" Sam and Mitchell exclaimed at the same time.

"There is no evidence of entropic cascade failure in these cells." Dr. Apple explained as she pointed toward the computer.

Sam studied the computer for a moment. "Walter! Shut down the gate!" She ordered over her shoulder.

"Colonel!" Dr. Apple exclaimed in surprise and dismay.

Ignoring the scientist, Sam continued shouting orders at Walter, "Dial the Alpha site."

"_Yes Ma'am."_

"I'll go alert General O'Neill." Cam announced as he turned to hurry out of the gateroom.

Moving quickly, Teal'c reached out and grabbed Cam's arm. "Negative Colonel Mitchell."

"Teal'c what…"

"He's right Cam." Sam interrupted. "Until we're sure that this is _the_ alternate universe we're looking for, it is better that we don't alert General O'Neill."

Cam nodded his understanding and watched as the scientists moved the device to the alternate universe they had just been connected to.

Once they were connected, Dr. Apple nodded at Sam who picked up a radio to transmit through the gate. Before she could key the radio, however, Teal'c put his hand on her shoulder to stop her.

"Teal'c?"

"Would it not be wiser, Colonel Carter, for me to transmit?"

"I don't understand."

"We are not aware of your rank or position at the SGC in this alternate universe."

Understanding dawned on Sam and she handed Teal'c the radio. Tipping his head in acknowledgment he keyed the radio.

"This is Teal'c of the Free Jaffa and Tauri, does anyone copy?"

Silence answered Teal'c's announcement. Just as he prepared to key the radio again, the radio crackled.

"_Master Teal'c, it is an honor to hear from you."_

Teal'c shared a look with Sam before replying. "To whom am I speaking?"

"_Sergeant Tompkins at your service Master Teal'c."_

"I must speak to your commanding officer Sergeant Tompkins."

"_Just a moment Master Teal'c."_

"I will wait."

"_Teal'c, buddy, how go things on Chulak?"_

Teal'c turned and raised an eyebrow at Cam, whose voice had just come over the radio.

"They are the same Mitchell. However I did not contact you to speak of matters regarding the Free Jaffa."

"_Okay, what's up?"_

Sam wasn't certain, but she could have sworn that she saw Teal'c roll his eyes.

"I have information on Jacquelyn O'Neill."

"_Have you told Sam?"_

"I have not. I was unable to establish a wormhole to Earth, which is why I contacted you."

"_I don't understand, unless there was already a wormhole established you should have been able to connect."_

Teal'c looked at Sam for a moment, who sighed in response to his unasked question.

"Control room." Sam said simply before turning and heading up there herself, followed closely by Teal'c and Cam. "Walter, can you send a video signal through the wormhole?"

"Yes Ma'am I can."

"Good, set it up."

"_Hey Teal'c."_ Cameron said as his face showed up on the video screen. _"I didn't know you could do a video feed."_ Suddenly Cam frowned. _"Why does that look like the control room at the SGC?"_

Now that Teal'c could see Cam, he could tell that he was still a Lt. Colonel. "Colonel Mitchell, what I am about to tell you will sound extraordinary, but I assure you upon my honor that it is the truth."

"_What are you talking about Teal'c?"_

"Colonel Mitchell I am from, what Samantha Carter calls, an alternate universe. A month ago, Jacquelyn O'Neill entered our universe from hers. We are trying to send her home. It is imperative that we send her to the correct universe."

Sam, Teal'c and Mitchell watched in silence as the alternate Cam considered what Teal'c had said.

"_One year ago today, Jacquelyn Danielle O'Neill was taken from her second birthday party. We searched for months but never located her. Five weeks ago, she contacted us by using the Ancient communication stones. She spoke to us through General O'Neill's body, telling us that she had been taken by the Ori and turned into a weapon that they planned to use against our galaxy. By that time, we knew how to destroy the Ori and were in the process of putting the final touches on the mission to do just that. With this information, she said that she would find a way home and would see us before her third birthday."_ Alternate Cam paused. _"Today is her third birthday, and we've heard nothing from her in the last month."_

Sam motioned Walter to mute the transmission. "So far his story sounds about right, and we know that the Ori are gone in that universe and that there isn't currently a Jackie there." Cam and Teal'c nodded their agreement. "Teal'c, I'm going to need to explain what's going on."

Teal'c nodded and moved out of the way for Sam.

"Hello Cam."

"_Sam! I didn't realize you were there."_

"We figured it was safer for Teal'c to open communications since we didn't know what rank or position I or our Cam would have."

Alternate Cam nodded. _"So Jackie is there with you?"_

"She's on base; we didn't want to get her hopes up too much."

"_Makes sense."_ Alternate Cam paused for a moment. _"Wait a second, how exactly are you connecting to our universe?"_

"Jackie created a device that turns the stargate into a quantum mirror of sorts. Unfortunately we have to connect to another planet before turning the device on. The device than changes the universe we are connected to while maintaining the connection to the same planet."

"_Which is why your Teal'c said that he couldn't connect to Earth…you're at the SGC."_

"Exactly."

Cam nodded. _"I'll need to contact our version of you and let her know what is happening. Can you dial us back in 45 minutes?"_

"Of course." Sam said. Turning to Walter she nodded for him to shut down the gate. Taking the microphone, Sam made an announcement into the gateroom. "Looks like we found the right one!" A cheer went up at her announcement. "We're giving them an opportunity to contact their SGC. We'll call back in 45 minutes, so take a break."

Λ

Sam, Teal'c and Cameron stopped at Daniel's lab and dragged him to the infirmary with a promise to explain once they were there. As the four neared the infirmary, Vala stood from her seat next to the door and blocked their way into the isolation room where Jack sat hovering over Jackie.

"The General doesn't want to be disturbed." Vala said, as the other four members of SG1 stopped before her.

"He'll make an exception for this." Cam responded.

"For what?" Vala asked, eyeing each one of them.

"We have located Jacquelyn O'Neill's home universe." Teal'c informed Vala.

"What?!" Daniel and Vala exclaimed together.

When Vala gave Daniel a funny look, he shrugged and defended himself, "I was in my lab."

"Cam, Teal'c, would you fill Daniel and Vala in on the specifics?" Sam asked. When the two nodded their affirmation, she moved toward the iso room door. Vala once again moved to block the door. "She's my daughter also Vala." Sam said only loud enough for Vala to hear.

Vala refused to budge immediately. After a moment's hesitation she reluctantly moved aside and allowed Sam through. Turning to the others, she awaited their explanation.

Λ

"How is she?" Sam asked quietly as she came up behind Jack.

"No change." Jack replied dryly. Looking up at Sam he frowned. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong." Sam responded.

"Then why are you here?" Jack asked as he stared at Jackie.

Sam winced at the deadness that Jack's tone had taken on. "Is it so inconceivable that I would come check on my alternate's daughter?"

"You weren't _there_, why would you be here?"

"_You_ made that decision, not me. You didn't even give me the option." Sam retaliated.

"Nothing happened right." Jack finally responded, his voice cracking with emotion. After a moment he looked up at Sam. "The moment Bra'tac came back through the gate it was Charlie all over again. I couldn't put you through that. I hoped that Vala and I would get through the gate in time to get Jackie out of there and when we got back you would be ready to send her home." He turned back to look at Jackie. "But nothing happened right."

"It may not have happened the way we would have wanted, but we can still send her home in time to celebrate her 3rd birthday."

Jack's head snapped up in surprise.

Λ

There was an unspoken understanding between the members of SG1, past and present, that Jack would have a private conversation with the alternate Carter. So as the time drew closer to redial the other universe, Walter set up the equipment Jack would need in the briefing room.

"_This is Colonel Mitchell, to whom am I speaking?"_

Jack turned on the video equipment before answering. "Colonel Mitchell, this is General O'Neill."

"_Jack?!"_

The face of Samantha Carter-O'Neill suddenly filled the screen in front of Jack. He found himself concerned by the surprise, joy, and grief he saw warring across the familiar features. Then something else caught his eye.

"General?" Jack asked with a raised eyebrow.

"_Yeah, that's a recent development."_ Alternate Sam smiled – a little sadly Jack thought.

"I guess congratulations are in order."

"_Thank you."_ Sam looked down for a minute. _"Jack?"_ She asked, looking up.

"Yeah."

"_Do you really have Jackie?"_

"Yeah we do." Jack assured. "She's been here for a month."

"_Month?"_ Alternate Sam exclaimed. _"So you and your Sam…"_ She trailed off.

"No."

"_And the Ori haven't been defeated?"_

"Not yet."

Sam bit her lower lip and nodded.

"Look, Sam, a lot has happened since Jackie showed up in our universe, too much to explain in one sitting, especially with a gate that will shut down on us." More head nodding. "Walter is working with Colonel Carter to compile all the reports relevant to this situation into a data stream to send to you. We'll dial back in an hour to send it through along with Jackie."

"_Thank you Jack."_ Sam paused. _"How's Daniel coming in his research into defeating the Ori?"_

"Not well since the whole Merlin thing."

Sam nodded. _"I'll pull together everything we have. I don't know how similar our universes are, but it may help you find a place to start."_

"Thank you."

Λ

Jackie became aware of her surroundings long before she was ready to acknowledge them. She recognized the sounds and smells of the infirmary and wracked her brain as to the events that led to her needing to be in here. All too soon the battle with Adria flooded her head. As she realized the implications of Adria ascending, she mentally groaned at her stupidity in not anticipating that move.

"Hey sleeping beauty."

Jackie's eyes flew open and landed on Jack's haggard face. _Guess that wasn't so mental after all._ "You could use some of that beauty sleep yourself." She croaked out.

Jack laughed and leaned over to plant a kiss on Jackie's forehead. "That's my girl."

"How long have I been out?"

Jack glanced at his watch. "Nearly 32 hours."

"Have you eaten or slept in that time?" Jackie asked in concern.

"Dr. Lam threatened to hook me up to an IV if I didn't."

Jackie smiled.

"So," Jack said lightly as he retook his seat. "I have a birthday present for you."

"A birthday present?" Jackie repeated as she sat up.

"Uh huh." Jack replied cryptically as he reached over to help Jackie get comfortable. "But it's not just from me."

"Oh?" Jackie smiled as she watched Jack once again settle in his chair.

"There are actually quite a few names attached to this gift."

Jackie smiled, barely able to contain her excitement. She may have been in the body of a 23-year-old, but today was really only her third birthday.

Leaning forward, with elbows on knees, and a suddenly solemn face, Jack looked down at his hands. Looking back up, he forced a smile, one that, Jackie noticed, never reached his eyes.

"We're sending you home."

Λ

An hour after talking with alternate Sam, Jack found himself pushing Jackie, in a wheelchair, into the gateroom. As the door opened, Jackie was surprised to see a large crowd of SGC personnel mingling around the room. Above the door on the other side was a huge banner reading: HAPPY 3RD BIRTHDAY JACKIE!

Once the two were completely in the gateroom, all the personnel burst into "Happy Birthday" followed by "For she's a jolly good fellow."

Giving everyone a chance to say their goodbyes and thank you's, Jack moved over to where Sam was standing with a radio.

"Colonel Mitchell, this is General O'Neill, do you copy?"

"_Yes Sir."_

"We're sending the data stream now."

"_We're receiving."_ There was a short pause. _"Confirm receipt. Sending our data stream now."_

Jack watched Sam until she nodded. "Confirm receipt Colonel. Is Carter there?"

"_I'm here General."_ Alternate Sam replied, realizing this was not a private conversation.

"We'll be sending Jackie through in just a moment, Carter. Everyone is still saying their goodbyes."

"_Understood."_ Silence reigned for a moment before the radio crackled and Sam's voice came through again. _"General, in regards to our earlier conversation: don't waste too much time, you never know how much – or little – you may have left."_

Sam shot Jack a confused look, but before he could respond to either Sam, the rest of SG1 came up with Teal'c pushing Jackie's wheelchair. He smiled down at Jackie.

"You ready?"

Jackie nodded in excited anticipation. "Yeah."

Turning to SG1 Jack nodded. In response, they one by one said their goodbyes and backed away. Vala was the last before Sam and Jack. As she bent over to hug her, Jackie pulled her into a fierce hug.

"I'm sorry Vala."

Vala pulled back and locked eyes with Jackie. "You did what you had to do Jackie."

"But I..."

"There was no way you could have anticipated Adria ascending. You did what you had to do and you did it to the best of your ability."

Jackie smiled as a single tear traced a path down her face.

"Enjoy your childhood Jackie." Vala whispered as she gently wiped the tear from Jackie's face before stepping back to join Daniel, Cam and Teal'c.

Once the others had said their goodbyes, Jack and Sam pushed Jackie to the top of the ramp. Stepping forward, Sam gave Jackie a hug.

"Take care Honey." Sam whispered before placing a kiss on top of her head.

"Thank you for everything Sam." Jackie replied.

Allowing Jack his chance to say goodbye, Sam stepped to the side and watched as Jack squatted in front of the wheelchair. In order to postpone the inevitable, Jack checked the elastic restraints that held Jackie to the wheelchair.

"Jack…" Jackie tried to get his attention. After a moment he finally looked up. "I'll be fine." He nodded.

In a move that surprised most of the room, Jack gathered Jackie up in a huge hug. For several moments he just held her. "I love you kiddo." He whispered huskily into her ear.

"I love you too." Jackie responded hoarsely.

Finally pulling away, Jack looked deeply into Jackie's eyes, both pairs containing a deep sadness. "No matter which universe, Jackie, I'm proud of you and I love you...always."

Jackie nodded. "Always."

Finally, Jack turned, looked at Sam, and nodded. She came forward and handed him the radio again.

"Carter, we're sending Jackie through. She's securely tied to the wheelchair in case the de-aging process happens rapidly."

"_Understood General. Thank you."_

Jack looked down at Jackie one last time before gently pushing her through the stargate.

"_Confirm receipt General."_ Alternate Mitchell responded a few seconds later.

"Understood Colonel." Jack responded through the radio, then shouting over his shoulder, "Shut her down Walter! Dr. Apple, disassemble the device and destroy the schematics."

Immediately, the scientists scurried into action. They didn't like the order, but they understood the consequences of certain factions in the government getting their hands on the device.

Even after the gate shut down, the scientists got to work destroying their weeks of labor, and the gateroom cleared, Jack and Sam stood staring at the stargate.

Without looking away from the last place he'd seen Jackie, Jack spoke to Sam. "We need to talk Carter."

_The End_

* * *

_Thank you to all of you who have faithfully been reading this story and reviewing. Hope this was tied up enough for you and hope that you will read the next one. _


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